Lauren Crooke takes a group shot at Point Walter.

AFTER surprising St Georges Terrace with a group nude photoshoot at peak hour in March this year, East Perth photographer Lauren Crooke is launching an exhibition covering two years of her work with another nude shoot on opening night.

Crooke’s work photographing nude women aims to encourage body positivity, and the voluntarily-nude shoots call into contrast how often women are non-consensually harassed, catcalled or groped. 

For the opening of her new collection ‘Permission’ at Gallery Central on January 5, she’ll be inviting some of those past women and non-binary participants back for a live photoshoot to give people a behind-the-scenes look at how the shots are composed.

Discomfort

While planning the opening night, Crooke says she faced a bit of opposition and concern that a live nude shoot might be too confronting for some gallery-goers.

She was undeterred. 

“Let them sit with their discomfort and wonder why they feel that way,” Crooke says, hoping it will make people think about the relationship between women’s bodies and the concept of permission. 

“I truly believe that allowing them to be a part of the art will begin to shift and change their pre-conceived ideas about the female nude.”

After the January 5 opening night Crooke’s tenancy is open to the public at Aberdeen Street’s Gallery Central until January 20, with an artist talk and Q&A at noon on January 14.

Her photography studio Crooked Images is based in Wittenoom Street, East Perth, where her Boudoir Photoshoots give “average bodies” a touch of sexy glam.