Michael Rosen Exposes 'Contact Sheet Sexual Portraits' in SF

SAN FRANCISCO—Multiple award-winning photographer Michael Rosen is always coming up with a new way to look at sex and sexuality. Stark and grainy nude landscapes, BDSM cinema verité, sharp focus, elegant composition, erotic piercings, studio sex portraits, gender play, non-standard penetration shots; Rosen has explored a lot of styles and situations since his first naked photos in 1977. On Friday, November 4 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm PST, Rosen will introduce Bay Area residents to his latest work, which he describes as comprising of “my version of a cubist portrait done photographically.” Rosen calls the work Contact Sheet Sexual Portrait and is set to display it at the Center for Sex & Culture. What visitors can expect is a gallery show featuring 36 photos of a model in various stages of undress; some depicting her as a whole while others focus on various body parts. Each finished portrait is presented as an old-fashioned 35mm film contact sheet containing a collection of views that, when seen simultaneously, present multiple aspects of her personality. “You may think of this portfolio as a meditation on women — their similarities and differences,” Rosen explains. “The women in these pictures flirt with my camera. They’re strong, in control and display what of themselves they choose.” Rosen has self-published high quality fine art printed books featuring his work, including Lust & Romance: Rated X Fine Art Photographs, Vanilla Sex: Explicit Fine Art Photographs, Sexual Art: Photographs That Test the Limits, Sexual Magic: the S/M Photographs and Sexual Portraits: Photographs of Radical Sexuality. Contact Sheet Sexual Portraits by Michael Rosen opens Friday, November 4 and shows from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm at the Center for Sex & Culture, 1349 Mission Street between Ninth and Tenth Streets in San Francisco. Additional viewings are available by appointment until November 26.