In Their Own Skin

With large black & white canvas prints of naked vacationers on a sailing trip in the Caribbean, Eric Hayes introduces us to the world of nude recreation. In October 2002, during a 2-week nude cruise aboard the 197-foot Windjammer tall ship, S/V Yankee Clipper, he produced honest, straightforward portraits of 17 couples and 4 women, about a third of the passengers, as they sailed from Grenada to St. Vincent. Daily visits to small islands with idyllic, deserted beaches provided the perfect backdrop for this return to the Garden of Eden.

These photographs show people whose bodies are far from the glossy magazine ideal, yet they have embraced body acceptance and readily agreed to be photographed for this show. As we look at them looking at us, we feel their love of life and recognize our common humanity.