World

Skin as Canvas: Annual ‘World Meeting of Body Art’ Unfolds in Venezuela

Annual World Meeting of Body Art in Venezuela

AP

(AP) Artists used paint, ornaments and glitter to transform the human body into artwork at a festival in Venezuela, showing off designs that ranged from pure fantasy to indigenous myths.

The weekend’s annual World Meeting of Body Art included body painting, tattoo art, performances and workshops. Fifty-two artists from 18 countries shared their creations at the gathering in Caracas, joining about 2,000 Venezuelans, organizers said.

Annual World Meeting of Body Art in Venezuela

Participants had their bodies painted in bright hues from orange to lime green. Vines appeared to wind down the shoulders of one woman, and a man posed as a statue with his skin painted to look like marble.

Annual World Meeting of Body Art in Venezuela

AP

“The body is a canvas with infinite possibilities,” Venezuelan artist Ivan Hernandez Rojas said. “I think it’s fascinating that colors, clothing, makeup, masks, wigs, combs … and accessories allow the human being to change from one identity to another.”

Annual World Meeting of Body Art in Venezuela

The festival, which began Thursday and ended Sunday, included participants from various Latin American countries as well as others who traveled from the Japan, Luxembourg, Poland, South Africa, Australia, the United States and Austria, among other nations.

Annual World Meeting of Body Art in Venezuela

AP

 

One presentation by Venezuelan David Aranguren and 11 other artists focused on the mythology of the country’s Warao indigenous group, who live in the Orinoco River Delta. Actors’ bodies were painted and adorned with leaves and feathers, and they played parts such as the wind and the “crocodile god.”

 

Annual World Meeting of Body Art in Venezuela

AP

Comments (40)

  • sdeakins
    Posted on November 21, 2011 at 11:38am

    Maybe they can do Chavez’s bald head now.

    Report Post » sdeakins  
  • sapper
    Posted on November 21, 2011 at 9:23am

    Art…….Really? Not in my opinion. And if you are an abnormal, moron freak then don’t be surprised to be called out as one and spare us the indignation. The rest of society is not required to be nice to you and care about your damned feelings. It’s your right to do stupid crap but having that right does not mean the rest of us have to accept you. Just like I refuse to be PC and I will call morons retarded and talk bad about the jack@$$ that wears his pant hanging off his ass. I will beat the hell out of a man that disrespects me or my wife and if you don’t like it….I don‘t give a rat’s ass. I‘ve been known to turn off people’s radio, pull their drawers up to their ears and generally be as rude back as people are to me. If I‘m in a store and you choose to walk right out in front of me don’t be surprised if I simply run into you and knock you on your ass. That‘s how I play the game and I don’t apologize for it. If it looks like your going to be polite and stop I’ll normally stop and tell you to go ahead. It’s all about attitude. And I don’t care if your all tatted up and wearing your gang colors or not. I’ll still knock you over and dare you to do anything about it. I’m also the guy that will stop and change a tire for a lady and ask for nothing more than a thank you. I‘m also the guy who bought a young black guy 5gal of gas at 2am and gave him a ride back to his car when I’d been on the road all night. If he hadn’t been polite in asking I would have ign

    Report Post »  
  • Furious
    Posted on November 21, 2011 at 8:42am

    Whoopty freakin do!

    Report Post »  
  • del0703
    Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:33am

    To pretty much everyone above me: I am a conservative and a Christian and an art major. There is nothing wrong with festivals that are part of a heritage or culture, as long as it doesn’t involve things like voo-doo and what not. Merely painting people and making art and experiencing culture is not something you have to be into, but that doesn’t mean you should make fun of them or judge them. All that does is display your bigotry and ignorance, and makes you look like a hateful redneck. And if you want to appeal to anyone on the left, that incredibly prejudice attitude will not help. It only fuels further stereotyping for those of us who are conservative, but prefer not to demonize and make fun of people just because they are different.

    Report Post »  
    • Twobyfour
      Posted on November 21, 2011 at 5:18am

      Artist here too… a musician and a painter (beside my normal job as a coder).

      So, people should censor themselves just to be liked by liberals? C’mon!

      I take a honest redneck over a pretentious cosmopolitan any time. I may be able to explain to the first that his view may be due to ignorance. In the second case, there’s no hope.

      Report Post » Twobyfour  
    • SerikFox
      Posted on November 21, 2011 at 1:11pm

      I totally agree. I love art personally and I kinda think this is just a cool festival. I compare it to jewelry really (which I make). I’m also a christian conservative. Like you said, so long as it’s not voodoo or something like it, I’m cool with it. I’d actually probably attend if I was there.

      Report Post »  
  • grayling646
    Posted on November 21, 2011 at 12:26am

    bunch o’ freaks.

    Report Post »  
  • mrsalvage2
    Posted on November 21, 2011 at 12:17am

    More savaging of the West.
    (Talking as HAL9000 from 2001:A Space Odyssey)

    Yes, yes, without hesitation.
    America would be so much a better place if we were more like African Tribes with Bones through our noses and Penis’

    Report Post » mrsalvage2  
    • Twobyfour
      Posted on November 21, 2011 at 5:35am

      LOL!

      Body painting’s not so bad, a shower can remove it without much of an effort. But when I see pretty young girls’ faces pierced and ringed, I’d hurl.

      Report Post » Twobyfour  
  • Cat
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 11:06pm

    Fantasy Fest is better …
    Don’t forget to shave!

    Report Post » Cat  
    • ChiefGeorge
      Posted on November 20, 2011 at 11:37pm

      More and more like Sodom/Gomorrah everyday!

      Report Post » ChiefGeorge  
    • Cat
      Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:15am

      Yes, it is

      Report Post » Cat  
    • Twobyfour
      Posted on November 21, 2011 at 5:31am

      ChiefGeorge, in the former EE countries behind the Iron Curtain, the sex in any form was what people resorted to almost by default, since there was little of anything else left to do. So if Venezuelans or Cubans feel a compulsion in that direction, that maybe the reason why.

      Report Post » Twobyfour  
  • rdietz7
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 10:30pm

    Attention all ladies that enjoy having themselves painted. I’m willing and able. Follow me @ rdietz7 on twitter ;)

    Report Post » rdietz7  
    • Twobyfour
      Posted on November 21, 2011 at 5:37am

      Let me know if you get any tweets… out of curiosity.

      Report Post » Twobyfour  
  • lady_liberty
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 10:20pm

    There is not one single fool who supported the idiot Hooter’s waitresses, that will reply negatively to this article.

    Report Post » lady_liberty  
  • BannedByHuffpo
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 9:48pm

    Jeez. Back in college we used to get stoned and do that. And that was in 1973!

    Report Post » BannedByHuffpo  
  • ZaphodsPlanet
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 9:41pm

    Another huffpo tactic of “Porning” up The Blaze? Not digging this.

    Report Post » ZaphodsPlanet  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 9:09pm

    .
    The third pic looks like my buddy who passed out in a deck chair, on our cruise last summer……

    Wish I could show ya’ll the pictures………

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • Ironmaan
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 8:41pm

    Dont care. Can we have more Hooters articles instead?

    Report Post »  
  • Rayblue
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 8:17pm

    We used to identify the convicted and released murderers from Mexico
    from the numbers tattooed on their necks.
    Very artistic, those South Americans.

    Report Post » Rayblue  
  • Winkycat
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 8:11pm

    This is art to paint one’s body with colors. just go to the Brazilian Carnival and it has been a tradition for decades. Go to Africa and see many tribes to the same thing for eons. Go to New Orleans during Mardi Gras and it is the same old same old.

    Report Post »  
  • COFemale
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 7:33pm

    Wow it does not take much to entertain communist socialist does it. This is a Liberal past time isn’t it?

    Report Post » COFemale  
  • bmw5gs
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:41pm

    I did speak my mind, i guess it was to harsh

    Report Post »  
  • bmw5gs
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:39pm

    If they peeled the skin off these a holes first, not thats art

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:37pm

    Finger Painting… for Idiots! And, they call this Art?

    Report Post » lukerw  
    • SerikFox
      Posted on November 21, 2011 at 1:12pm

      I would like to see you pull off finger painting of that quality. The skill needed is impressive. It takes a lot of talent to do this stuff.

      Report Post »  
  • BlessedONE333
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:12pm

    MORE PAGAN BULL CRAP to waste your time on instead of actually solving the world’s problems!

    great [sarcasm]

    Report Post » BlessedONE333  
    • Joe Bonham
      Posted on November 20, 2011 at 7:22pm

      More “pagan bullcrap”… are you a moron or just a troll?

      Report Post »  
  • 13th Imam
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:09pm

    Now we can subsidize , Skin Painted Cowboy Poets.

    Brush Away Barry Nov 2012

    Report Post » 13th Imam  
  • flatbroke
    Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:05pm

    Awesome, something to do on the weekend!

    Report Post » flatbroke  

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