Human Sculptures by NY Body painter Trina Merry
These optical illusion works are created with nothing but bodies and bodypaint. They explore the human body as a sculptural medium. Every single one of these works has "gone viral".
Throughout the ages, the human body has been defined by cultural perspectives and societal mores. It has inspired numerous works of art that celebrate it a vision of beauty.
Oftentimes it also represents a conflict over gender identity. The human body is a conundrum as it oozes both innocence and sexuality. It is a constant source of controversy.
As a professional body painter, I see the human body with a different perspective, through the lens of an artist.
Often my work involves shaping bodies into unusual forms and painting them so that they create human sculptures that are unlike any other type of art. Not many artist use real human bodies as a source of structural art, but I do and I love it.
I embrace all types of bodies, skinny and plump, freckled and wrinkled, those with scars and those with stretch marks. Skin is both a perfect and imperfect surface at the same time. Each body tells the story of that individual and together, they complete my vision as an artist.
Since I’m more of a visionary, my human sculpture series takes multiple people and positions them in a variety of poses so that they resemble everyday objects.
In fact, at first you may not even realize that the motorcycle, dirtbike or automobile is constructed completely of human bodies.
I’ve done a variety of different series, during one of which we created all 12 astrological signs.
It’s my version of a jigsaw puzzle.
You start with an idea and then take it all apart piece to piece to figure out how it will all fit back together again. That’s just one part of the challenge. The other is figuring out how to defy gravity and push the limits of the models’ flexibility to calculate exactly what the human body is capable of doing and what it is fighting against.
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how the models are able to strike their poses long enough for me to get that great shot. I am always grateful for their efforts as we position them in awkward poses and paint their individual bodies with a portion of the art so that when they come together as a group, they create one cohesive piece.
Everything is carefully positioned so you struggle to see where one body ends and another begins.
It’s challenging work, but the results are satisfying because they make you think twice about what you are actually seeing. As your mind peels back the layers of human bodies and reveals their head, feet and arms, you realize just how beautiful the human body can be as its curves gently form soft lines and its bone structure forms the foundation of the sculpture.
Art is a language that can speak to everyone.
My words are my body paint, my sentences the human structures and my story is still evolving, but is being shared every day through the work I am able to achieve with my fabulous staff and terrific models.
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