Kiwi body artists dress with less
16 Feb 2010
New Zealand Festival of Body Art - Taupo
12 - 21 February 2010
Visitors to the popular tourist destination of Lake Taupo, in New Zealand’s central North Island, might be surprised by the dress code at some of the event capital’s major functions this month.
The town is playing host to the New Zealand Body Art Festival - the first time the event has been held outside Auckland - and heads are likely to turn when some festival-goers arrive wearing nothing but body paint.
New Zealand has a strong international profile in the world of body art and aside from strong links with the country’s indigenous culture, the creative practice of using the body as a canvas was pioneered by Kiwi artist Joanne Gair - now considered the world’s leading trompe-l’oeil artist or illusionist.
Body Art Festival
The NZ Body Art Festival is designed to showcase the talent and creative excellence of youth, novices, graduates and professionals in what has become a dramatic and diverse art form with a major international following.
The general theme for the 2010 festival is Māori myths and legends and entertainment throughout the festival will include kapa haka / Māori performance art as well as music and dance displays from local and visiting groups.
Organisers say the overall aim of the festival is to educate, promote and expand the knowledge of art by pushing the boundaries of artists and creating new concepts of learning through unique participation.
Walking Art
The festival has opened with a special photographic exhibition called Walking Art at Taupo Museum.
The exhibition is a collection of images from the NZ Body Art Awards taken by New Zealand photographer Gino Demeer.
Described as showing "fantastical creatures, explosions of colour, special effects and illusion" the images feature the work of some of New Zealand’s top body artists.
The exhibition covers five categories and gives an insight into the techniques involved in body art (sponge and brush or air brushed), special effects (creatures and fantasy), fluorescent illusion (body painted and costume), masks (prosthetics and masquerade), and tribal body art (traditional and contemporary).
Art workshops
Taupo Museum’s Ora Garden will provide an inspiring venue for a series of workshops throughout the festival week, including face painting, special FX, kiwiana design, body painting and the technique of life casting, mould making, latex work and prosthetic applications.
Workshops, in conjunction with the Wairaki Institute of Technology, will also be held at other venues in Taupo and offer free classes for people wanting to learn a variety of techniques.
Subjects covered include techniques used in sponge, brush and airbrushing, and the art of special effects make-up, extreme make-up for film and television and the many other aspects of illusionism.
Top national and international masters in body art will be in Taupo for the event to teach beginners and master classes.
The creative results of the workshops will be entered in the festival competition held over the weekend of 19 - 21 February - the highlight of the event when Taupo’s Riverside Park comes alive with what is considered New Zealand’s most visually unique, colourful and atmospheric festival.
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