Artist Liu Bolin was born in 1973 and grew up in China’s Shandong province. Bolin is painstakingly painted head-to-toe by a group of assistants using photographs of the area behind him as a guide without the use of special effects or Photoshop.
His series “The Invisible Man” is a symbol of humanity, concealed in the growing isolation of the capital. He says, “My intention was not to disappear in the environment but instead to let the environment take possession of me”.
German photographer Hans Silvester documents the extraordinary body painting of the Surma and Mursi peoples of the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan.
“The Surma and Mursi tribes are body painters. They paint their bodies with natural pigments made from the earth. They paint themselves and each other in a tradition that has remained unchanged for millenia. They use their bodies as canvases, painting their skin with pigments made from powdered volcanic rock and adorning themselves with materials obtained from flowers, leaves, grasses, shells and animal horns.”
Adelaide-based artist, Emma Hack is a ‘body artist’. Her canvas of choice is the human body and by using wallpaper designed by florence broadhurst, hack paints models to match, making them disappear into the wall.
“Emma’s collaboration on Gotye‘s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know‘ has seen her profile skyrocket with the single in UK, Europe and US charts and over 350 million hits on YouTube.”
Rossina Bossio‘s third and final installment in the trilogy of videos from The Holy Beauty Project is finally online, one year after its production and official presentation at Saint Claire’s Church Museum in Bogotá, Colombia.
“The Holy Beauty Project is a series of artworks inspired by religious art and fashion, incorporating different media such as painting, drawing, video and performance. Merging visual elements from religious art and contemporary advertising campaigns, the artworks for the project set a parallel between ancient and current icons (celebrities, fashion models, pop and rock stars, etc), to explore the seductive power of images. Simultaneously, it aims to bring forth our inability to exist without hierarchies, and our constantly renewed need for gods/idols capable of making sense out of life’s absurdity…” Rossina Bossio
French painter Gerard Schlosser is known for using photographs to frame a specific part of a scene. His paintings are hyperrealist fragments of fictional stories.
New Zealand born artist Joel Penkman, currently living in the UK, captures our food favourites by using egg tempera and gesso to grinding and mixing his own paint.
You can shop the prints on Etsy.
Self-taught Russian illustrator Lora Zombie creates chaotic, vibrant and colourful paintings by using ink and watercolours.
Zombie is a rising star, with her exhibitions quickly selling out galleries worldwide.
Canadian artist Alexandra Levasseur creates beautiful paintings by using acrylics and colored pencils on paper.
During 2011 – 2012 she developed a project titled “One Drawing a Day”. Her objective was to explore the spontaneity and inspiration given by every different morning, either by environmental or emotional circumstances – states of mind, energy, desires, etc.
German artist Deenesh Ghyczy paints fragmented portraits by using oil and acrylic. His paintings give the illusion of looking through a kaleidoscope.
Canadian artist Drew Young works mainly with oils and collage on mahogany. His art is inspired by lost and found adolescence.
Young says “We are lost in our self-indulgent primal behaviour, forgoing the morals and values our parents have instilled in us. In these images we reflect on our own experiences of these dark visceral moments and places.”
Thomas Saliot is a French painter living and working between Paris and Marrakech. His medium is oil on canvas and the artworks are absolutely stunning.
Korean artist Ho-Ryon Lee’s paintings are visually seductive and provocative. He paints using oil on canvas after taking several photos of a model in sensual and revealing poses, creating also a sense of motion.
Argentinian artist Nacha Canvas makes beautiful pieces by using mainly watercolours.
These paintings were taken from her series “What Happens in the Mountains” were she exposes mountain life by using colours and soft textures creating very moving imagery.
Chloe Early was born in Cork, Ireland but is currently living and working in London. She works mostly with oil paintings on linen and aluminum and in her paintings she creates a fantastical troubled dream where strange and wonderful things happen.
