The artist turns naked bodies into optical illusions with wild animals
The artist Emma Faye, who is engaged in body art, has created a series of paintings that at first glance seem to be ordinary portraits of animals. If you look closely, it becomes clear that these paintings are painted directly on naked human bodies. With the help of water-soluble paints, Emma transforms her models into realistic representatives of wildlife, including butterflies, crocodiles and cobras.
(19 photos in total)
The latest work of the artist is a series of ten images called "Union of Yoga" (Union of Yoga). She painted her paintings on the naked bodies of models, each of which is in a certain yoga asana.
Emma Faye painstakingly painted the body of each model, and her partner Jonathan McAuley photographed the result. According to the artist, the series explores the possibility of combining her art with spiritual practice.
"This is a series of ten works that explore the origins of yoga and visually interpret the name of real yoga asanas, each of which is depicted on the human body," says Emma.
"We had to experiment a bit to create the series. It was quite difficult to remain committed to the asana and draw the selected object on the model's body while she is in this position," says the artist.
"I work with three models, and we chose them because they practice yoga. Each job takes about a day, but we've done a lot of research. We had to test the poses in order to find the right angle for shooting the work and at the same time correctly display the asana itself."
With the help of her yoga models, Emma managed to create accurate images of each asana.
The final photo requires the model to hold the pose with precision, but the artist says that the models did not have to hold this body position for the entire time. "Fortunately, since they are yogis and practice yoga, it was easier for us to work, since they are used to holding one position and managing their bodies well," adds Emma.
The models depict not only animals: one of them is in the pose of a sacred ficus, and the other is in the lotus position. "This is the same tree that Buddha was sitting under when enlightenment came to him," says Emma.
Some artists are scared off by the temporary nature of body art, but for Emma this is only a plus. "I became interested in body art because I like its temporary nature and the complexity of drawing on the human body. Part of the appeal of the idea of creating such works is the illusory nature and element of the human body. Since these are our roots, our evolution, our worldview and way of thinking, I find it amazing and inspiring."
Keywords: Asana | Body art | Wildlife | Illusion | Yoga | Artist