ArtAct: The Art of Body painting

The art of body painting has been practiced throughout the world by various cultures and tribes for their ritual body painting events. Native of Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and some parts of Africa are still painting their bodies as their ancient ancestors did before them. Many of the cultural traditions and customs from this area are fast disappearing as the modern world takes hold.

The Andamanese people are the various aboriginal inhabitants of the Andaman Islands, which is the northern district of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India, located in the southeastern part of the Bay of Bengal. Body painting is still widely practiced among all Andamanese groups. It has deep (if unclear) spiritual significance but also was (and in some groups still is) the Andamanese way of dressing up.

Among Andamanese the rare white clay was used only in one strictly traditional pattern, the so called snake-pattern, lines zig-zagging in a particular way across the body, which in some ways corresponds to western gala or formal dress. This clay and its associated pattern was applied across the entire body for large gatherings and dances involving two or more local groups. It was also used at the dance that marked the end of the mourning period and after a wedding ceremony when the bride and groom were painted in this way.

Jarawa girl with facial body paint. Bodypaint is not very often seen among Jarawa. This girl may have put it on for the special outing.

In 1863 the superintendent of the convict settlement forbade the Greater Andamanese at Port Blair body painting on the grounds that it was "degrading and barbarous." Others protested against this, feeling that the Andamanese (who were not convicts, after all) should not be interfered with and claiming body paint as a substitute for clothes without which the natives would be exposed to chills and the ridiculous order was never enforced.

The indigenous Amazonian Indians inhabiting the Xingu River basin in Brazil are not a single tribe. Although commonly referred to as "Xingu Indians" as if they were a single tribe, in reality they are composed of many different ethnic groups. Indigenous body painting is highly developed among the Xingu native tribes. Note how his hair is colored red with a paste made from seeds of the annatto (urucum) tree. A black dye is made from fruit of the genipap (genipapo) tree. The butterfly design is a common theme in the Xingu and abstract swallowtail butterfly designs can be seen on both his face and chest. Female body painting is also ubiquitous in the Xingu region with both women and girls commonly decorating their bodies with various natural pigments and dyes.

Amazonian chief of the Rikbaktsa tribe. The Rikbaktsa, who are also called "Orelhas de Pau" (Wooden Ears) and "Canoeiros" (Canoe People) have a reputation as being fearless warriors .

The Kaiapó natives live along the Xingu River, in Mato Grosso. Their vast territory is formed mostly by tropical forests. Their body painting is very symbolic and signifies status and social behavior. The design is geometric with intricate lines, mainly in red and black. .

Peru aboriginal with snake pattern (rhombus) on the forehead.

Ethiopians tribes of Suri, Mursi and Me'en that inhabit the southwestern part of the country are known as Surma. Here Surma children are displaying their body paints.

Surma women perform scarification by slicing their skin with a razor blade after lifting it with a thorn. After the skin is sliced the piece of skin left over is left to eventually scar. These women run their households in the Suri village and own their own fields and are allowed to use their profits however they wish.

Body painting of Mbwela people of South Africa

Native Americans are known for their body paintings and it is said that the first white settlers in North America called them “Red Indians” because of the way they painted themselves with ochre. The paint acted as a shield against evil and also protected them against vicious insects. Face painting is considered to be an important tradition among them as a sacred social act of distinction and a cultural heritage. On special occasions faces of the tribe members are painted to augment one’s appearance and power.

Watercolor drawing of an American "Indian in Body Paint" by John White circa 1585-1586

Each tribe of the Indians has its own and unique way of face painting. For Native Americans Indians, roots, berries and tree barks are most commonly used to make the dyes for face painting. These natural raw materials are ground and made to a paste to make the dye. Clay of different hues is also used in Native Indian face painting. The process involved a strict ritualistic order, that was maintained during the application of these colors. The colors were first applied around the nose and only the index finger and middle finger was used for the application. The rest of the face i.e. the forehead, chin and eye areas were then carefully covered with paint. For some face paintings they would cover their face and then plaster it down with mud leaving the holes for the eyes and mouth. Generally the warriors would paint their faces with colored clay. They would then do the design of their tribe. Each tribe has its own designs for war and ceremonies.

Like the Aboriginals in Australia and most indigenous cultures, American natives considered ochre sacred and infused it into their everyday objects like clothing, tools, pottery, rawhide, etc. Trade for pigments among tribes and later with European traders expanded their palette of colors.

In India and the Middle East, henna tattoo is still a popular practice. Mehndi, a traditional art of drawing with henna, is part of the Indian and North African wedding ritual. Even today, some body painting is used before the wedding, involving the bride's hands and feet.

In the southern Indian city of Kochi a Theyyam dancer waits to perform during festivities marking the start of the annual harvest festival of "Onam" . The 10-day long festival is celebrated annually in India's southern coastal state of Kerala to symbolise the return of King Mahabali to meet his beloved subjects.

A living cult with several thousand-year-old traditions, Theyyam or Theyyattam is a popular Hindu ritual form of worship of North Malabar in Kerala state, India. The performers of Theyyam belong to the indigenous tribal community, and have an important position in Theyyam.

The mehndi is an important part of Indian marriages and Indian brides are usually very excited about their elaborate mehndi designs on their hands and feet.

In South America, some natives still use huito, annatoo, or wet charcoal as a body and face decoration. In some cases,the design will last several weeks, and is usually referred to as henna tattoos. Body paint made with a combination of clay and other paint mixed together. If the painting was limited to the face, it was then known as face painting. There are body painting events that are held worldwide for all artists both amateur and professional. The largest event held for body painting artists is the World Bodypainting Festival held in both Seeboden and Austria. In the United States there are shows held in upstate New York, American Body Arts Festival, and then the US Bodypainting Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Heather Aguilera, is an expressive and passionate body artist from the U.S. whose work is blooming with vibrant color, texture and movement. Growing up on the beautiful beaches of southern California, has had a huge impact on the artistic content and bright organic nature of her work

Natalia Stahl’s ‘Chinese Mood’ is an example of beautiful body painting that transcends time. Stahl has painted her model with traditional China cultural symbols, like Chinese characters and gorgeous sprawling vines and flowers, and outfitted her in gloves and a cap that would look right at home during the Roaring Twenties.

Emma Hack, an Australian artist, started her career as a children's face painter, qualified hairdresser and make-up artist. She gradually moved to body painting of world acclaim. In March 2001, Hack won the coveted first prize at the CIDESCO World Congress Professional World Body Painting Championship in Hong Kong. In 2004, The Adelaide Cabaret Festival utilised Emma's exhibition skills to feature a collection of celebrities painted as their cabaret persona as an exhibition during the festival. In 2005 she collaborated with Deborah Paauwe in her Dark Fables collection, featuring Emma's illustration on the faces of Paauwe's subjects. Her Wallpaper series in 2005, 2007 and 2008 collections featuring Florence Broadhurst wallpaper designs combined with her body illustration has exhibited during the Adelaide Fringe Festival, along with nude landscapes and a continued collection of Florence Broadhurst wallpapers. It was during this collection that she began photographing the installations herself, evolving her art further. Emma's photographic images were exhibited at Art Sydney 08.