“Naked Nude” blends vulnerability with the aestheticized nude, turning the body into a site of personal, political, and emotional expression. Chinese artists like Luo Yang, Lin Zhipeng (No. 223), and Gulu challenge traditional ideals, using nudity as a powerful tool for expression of vulnerability and freedom. In their work, rebellion and authenticity redefine the body, transcending the idealized forms historically associated with the nudes.

Nudes have played a central role in art history, from the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf to the classical Greek sculptures that celebrated the human body as an ideal of beauty and divine perfection. These depictions often served two purposes: to venerate the human form and to portray gods. Subsequently, this results in idealized, stylized representations of the bodies. British art historian Kenneth Clark, in "The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form," distinguished between "nude" and "naked." Nakedness, he argued, is the unembellished and often visually discomforting body, while the nude transcends the ordinary to symbolize balance and artistic beauty. However, this distinction has been challenged in contemporary art, where cultural shifts emphasize unfiltered realistic human experiences over idealized forms. The "naked nude," a term introduced by art historian Francesca Borzello, blends vulnerability with the aestheticized nude, turning the body into a site of personal, political, and emotional expression. In Chinese art, nudity emerged later during the early 20th century with the New Culture Movement, which challenged Confucian traditions. However, nudity has continuously faced censorship. In the face of censorship, nudity in Chinese art turns into an expression of freedom and vulnerability. Contemporary artists like Luo Yang, Lin Zhipeng (No. 223), and Gulu use the human body to explore individuality, rebellion, and authenticity, reinterpreting nudity as a form of personal liberation and self-expression in their art. Luo Yang’s photography captures the raw authenticity of modern Chinese womanhood, challenging traditional ideals of femininity. Her intimate, unfiltered images reject idealized depictions of the nude in favor of individuality and imperfection, turning the naked body into a canvas for self-expression. Lin Zhipeng, known as No. 223, uses analog film to document the unguarded lives of a rebellious generation. His spontaneous, unretouched photos blur the line between art and diary, with nudity symbolizing personal liberation and radical self-expression. Gulu’s work redefines identity, using photography and hand-altered Polaroids to restore agency to those objectified by societal norms. For him, nudity is an act of emotional freedom, challenging conventions and celebrating the body as a site of defiance and individuality. Together, the human body transcends its idealized representation, embodying the concept of the "naked nude."