Ryan McGinley may be fond of shooting people that run around on fields and hang out inside crystal caves in their birthday suit , but he shares that being in the nude just represents the freedom and energy that all young people have. His shots in our photo issue are proof of that statement. His alternate cover seems to be the favorite among those inclined towards the finer and more sublime things in life, aka the artistic souls. Check out more of this eternally young and wild photo-master after the jump.
For the full story about Ryan McGinley, grab a copy of our photo issue. -RAYRAE
On losing Dash Snow:
“Losing Dash is sad. Dan and Dash and I learned how to be artists together and we got to see each other’s work evolve and help each other along… What can I say? It’s sad. Heroin is a terrible drug that’s taken so many artists’ lives. I’m reminded of Dash all the time because his tags are still everywhere and that makes me smile. It’s nice to be able to see him in his daughter too.”
Young and the Restless:
“Most young people don’t have a real voice yet but if they’re good you can see that there’s something there that separates them from the masses and I’ll encourage them to investigate specific things more. And I also just love looking at photos—that’s when I’m happiest. I’m an image collector.”
Children in us:
“When you’re younger, you have a sense of optimism and an energy that, as you get older, you lose. The actions that children do are inspiring me. I look at children’s books and I deconstruct the actions and ideas, like screaming and running and jumping. I have my models act them out and basically run free. It’s about escaping.”
American dreams:
“Well, I live in New York, which is kind of its own entity. There’s a reason why people move here and why I’ve always wanted to live here—because we think differently. But I do feel a real affinity with the American landscape. I like the idea that all roads lead home, there’s something comforting about it. I don’t really believe in stereotyping “America” anyway. It’s like, growing up in New Jersey, people always say that it’s just filled with tollbooths and toxic waste plants, but it’s really a beautiful place that so many artists have come out of. Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen… So, yeah, I try to ignore generalizations about what it means to be American.”
Nudity is (not) for everybody:
“Different strokes for different folks. Nudity is not for everybody. Whenever people would catch a glimpse of one of my photo shoots happening, they would think we were making a porno, just because there’s naked people. Most people who live outside cities in the US are. Nudity is still pretty taboo here, as opposed to Europe where you see topless girls everywhere.”
Naked Obsession:
“I’m not a political artist but you could say that there is a political aspect in the work because it’s about freedom. And freedom is a political word. The photos are about escaping to a fantasy world that doesn’t exist, which could be read as a retaliation to the state of the world we’re in. It’s certainly not about apathy. My work is about process and obsession and adventures and beauty.”
Photo via fashionologie
