CHENNAI: A gothic ballerina in a rhinestone and lace embellished top and a glittery-fluffy black tutu, looking all shades of dramatic are our first observations of the photographs from a recent photo shoot conceptualised by visual artist Elangeswari Murugan and shot by photographer Gilbert Santiagu. Take a closer look at the photos and you can see that the model, 23-year-old Suruthi Periyasamy had been expertly semi body-painted and decked in stones and laces to create a ‘body fitting top’ illusion.
Ecstatic about her creation, Elangeswari, who has been a make-up artist for almost 20 years, says, “I chanced upon body paint videos on the Internet, which were done on nude and semi-nude models. They were social experiments to find out if the public figured out that it was paint and not clothes,” she shares. Elangeswari wanted to recreate similar art using the body as a canvas. But, she didn’t want it to be ‘glamorous’.
“Most of the videos I saw were done abroad. They were too glamorous. It’s not something that would suit Indian sensibilities. So, I wanted to throw the limelight on the art aspect of it, tone down the glamour and let the work speak for itself,” she says. After exploring the body art scene here and months of research later, she decided to take up the task of creating what could possibly be south India’s first semi-nude body art project. “During my research I couldn’t find references to body art/paint having been done on a nude/semi-nude person in the South,” she shares. Before she could flag off her pet project, Elangeswari had to narrow down on the model for the shoot.
“It was a tough task. Everyone I approached turned it down. They weren’t comfortable to get themselves painted while being topless. But then, I found the perfect model in Suruthi,” she says and heaves a sigh of relief. “I’ve been acquainted with her for quite sometime now. When I approached her, she asked for some time to think about it,” she recalls. Two days later, Elangeswari received a call from Suruthi that she was on board, and things began to fall in place.
“Initially, I was apprehensive. I took two days to think about it. I said to myself that I should see this as art and not be worried. I knew Elangeswari and was comfortable to do it,” shares Suruthi, a budding model who also works for a city-based trading company. After 20-odd days of planning, the body painting-cum-photoshoot took place at Elangeswari’s house. “I wanted to make the model as comfortable as possible. In studios, there could be threats to privacy, considering this was a semi-nude body art...but at home, she felt at ease,” shares the Indian book of record holder.
It took five hours of strenuous work to create the art on Suruthi’s body. “I first had to tape/mask the parts on which I wouldn’t be painting. Once that was done, I began my work in creating the embellished top and face makeup. For five hours she couldn’t eat or even drink,” recalls the make-up artist. “Since I had the rhinestones stuck on my body, I couldn’t even sit until the shoot was over. So, for about eight hours I never sat...it was such a new experience.
But, I am glad that it has come out really well. If I see it, or even if someone else sees it, they wouldn’t believe it’s body paint. I felt very comfortable working and looking at the end product,” says Suruthi. Elangeswari credits her team for making the shoot a seamless process. “From the model, the photographer to the stylist, Arul Mozhi, who designed the tutu, everyone in the team is passion driven. We were extremely excited to work on an art form which has a very niche audience,” she enthuses.
Talking about how there’s friction over aesthetics of body painting in the city and country, she elucidates that people are hesitant to look at the body as a canvas and as a unique form of art. “There are a lot of inhibitions and arguments when we do these things here. But, there are people who are appreciative of it, too,” says Elangeswari, and Suruthi concurs, “I haven’t told my family yet that it is body paint. I come from a small town in Salem and people are very conservative there. For me to have done this, is a huge step. Once the output and responses for the photographs are out, I will tell them. But, I am very confident about this project... it’s surely going to make heads turn and bring the city recognition,” she shares.
A masterpiece in five hours
It took five hours of strenuous work to create the art on Suruthi’s body. “I first had to tape/mask the parts on which I wouldn’t be painting. Once that was done, I began my work in creating the embellished top and face make-up. For five hours she couldn’t eat or even drink,” recalls the make-up artist. “Since I had the rhinestones stuck on my body, I couldn’t even sit until the shoot was over. So, for about eight hours I never sat...it was such a new experience. But, I am glad that it has come out really well. If I see it, or even if someone else sees it, they wouldn’t believe it’s body paint. I felt very comfortable working and looking at the end product,” says Suruthi.