Artist Defends His Decision to Display Leaked Nude Photos of Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton in Art Exhibit

Artist sees the leaked photos as “art,” says the showroom hasn’t been contacted by any stars or authorities

By Holly Passalaqua, Mike Vulpo Sep 06, 2014 9:04 PMTags
Jennifer Lawrence, Kate UptonIan Gavan/Getty Images; Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA

Leaked nude photos of stars including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton could still be coming to an art exhibit near you very soon.

Despite plenty of outrage from the public, Cory Allen Contemporary Art and artist XVALA are proceeding with their upcoming art show, "No Delete," which will feature provocative images of the A-list stars.

"The artist sees these images as art," Cory Allen explained to E! News. "[They are] a representation of someone or something that has a different meaning for everyone. Transforming those images to canvas presents them in a different light. It makes them real."

Last week, CACA announced the leaked images will be life-size, unaltered and printed on canvases. The "art" will be held at a showroom in Saint Petersburg, Fla. 

Despite several stars threatening legal action against anyone who posts the photos, Allen says what they're doing doesn't deserve legal ramifications.

"Our goal was not to do anything illegal. It was for XVALA to create art; to follow through with his vision for this project and for me to promote it," Allen explained to E! News. "We have not been contacted by anyone."

On Aug. 31, naked and scantily-clad pictures of several celebrities surfaced online, which resulted in Apple and the FBI investigating the massive hack.

"This is a flagrant violation of privacy," Lawrence's rep told E! News when the photos surfaced. "The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence."  

Even with the controversy, Allen wants to make the exhibit's goal clear.

"We hope the conceptual value of this project will help address issues that will help find better ways to protect an individual's information," he explained. "To gain back our privacy."

XVALA completely agrees.

"It's encouraging to see the outrage in people's responses to this project we are doing, especially in an age when we give away so much information," he told E! News in a statement. "It's great to see people still care about privacy and will stand up for it."