Body Art

The title above is a little misleading, as I touched on tattoos and piercings in a previous submission, and this missive has nothing to do with those.  Instead, I wanted to bring a cultural event to your attention – one I think is unique and ties in with our subject matter.

Apparently, there is a “Body Art Festival” every year in Odessa, Ukraine.  Instead of profiling tattoos or piercings specifically (which I am sure a fair amount of the models have … who doesn’t nowadays?), local artists use the human body as a canvas in order to profile their work.  It’s actually a pretty avant-garde idea; and because it’s Europe, the only body part covered is the bits.  Straight guys get their fair share of breasts and nipples, and gay guys/underwear fetishists have the key draw of seeing guys in their underwear or Speedos as walking, paint-covered displays on the street.  (Those of you who appreciate European men, as I do, know that some of those Slavic guys are really hot.  I’m a total sucker for a deep accent, heavy cheekbones, and big muscular guys who might be in the market for a green card.)

Neat idea, huh?  And something you would totally never see in Anytown, U.S.A., although I have been tempted to bring it to the attention of the high-school’s new, young, hip art teacher to see if she knows anything about it and would be willing to have a similar exposition in our town.  I first found out about it while reading a Ukrainian cultural magazine that had been re-printed into English, and began pounding Internet doors trying to find out more about it.

I do believe in full disclosure, so before you start your own Internet crusade, it bears mentioning that 95% of the models are female.  I haven’t been able to find a lot of information on English Internet sites, unfortunately, and even fewer photos of some of the male models, but there is one below.  I’m sure there’s something more detailed out there for native speakers, so if there are any followers out there who can read Cyrillic script and/or speak Ukrainian or Russian, drop a line if you get more information and I will post an update.

Of course, I could always just take off for Odessa on my own to see what happens.  Road trip!

The one site I found regarding the Ukrainian event was at http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/index2.php?param=pgs20053/118. Further research uncovered a site in English that highlights a similar event in Austria and other body painting festivals.  It has more photos, (again, mostly of female models) but it also features “how to”s with ideas, equipment, and media.  Take a gander at http://www.bodypaintings.com.au/body_painting_festivals.htm.  Enjoy!  (There should be more photos available shortly, as their annual event takes place during the third week of July.)