Kali II by ~against-the-stars
Model: Robyn
Photography: Me
Body painting: Me
Background painting: Me
This is for submission to the Kali Project, an examination of the mythology of the goddess Kali, which I chose to interpret through body painting and photography. Kali is both ultimate destroyer and the mother of all things, so I chose to represent these ideals through a literal juxtaposition of her two cosmic roles. She also is seen as “the essence of her own form”, so by painting her on another human body, she is tangible in figure while remaining an abstract idea, blending and pushing the boundaries of corporeality.
The four pieces submitted here are now a part of a traveling exhibition that will be shown in Boston, Berlin, Joliette (Quebec), and possibly Sydney.
I’ve been wanting to try body painting for a while, so I’m glad this Project finally gave me the excuse to get started on it. It was treacherous work, the painting taking a gruelling 8 hours, the photoshoot taking 1 hour, and the shower taking a solid 57 minutes.
All in all I’m fairly pleased with how successful my first try at body painting turned out, and I definitely want to try it again - though fingers crossed I’ll be able to work a bit faster next time.
(via s-e-x-m-a-g-i-c-k)
