Friday, March 03, 2006


FLESH, INK. FRIDAY - Wilderness Bodypainting



"When you have a mask on, you change. You change into an archetype." - Rosel Grassmann

With the coming of Spring, PTF sought out a Flesh, Ink. Friday feature that was more environmental, more tribal, and more essential. Imagine our joy when we found Rosel Grassman of Wildreness Bodypainting.

Rosel Grassman states her vision for Wilderness Bodypainting as facilitating or accompanying a journey inward which is expressed as a colored picture on the skin. There is a representation of the journey for the source of internal strength.

According to the website, Wilderness BodyPainting is a method of body painting, which contains more than color on skin. Humans as a personality will become included into the process with internal pictures, dreams and emotions replicated as the outside image on the skin.

Rosel studied Laban, and dedicated herself to its teachings. During a discussion one day, she realized that bodypainting changed not only the exterior physicality of the carrier, but also the nature of the individual, and their movement, as well.

Grassman states, "We think we know who we are, but in how we function and how we think of ourselves we are what our environment has made us. If we are painted we can let go of that. We don't have to be pretty anymore, we can just be. It's a way of going into a different state of being in ourselves which is already there but never has a chance to come out.

"Body painting is more like a semi-mask, in that it has the mask's transformative power, but does not hide the wearer from his or her self - it is more an amplification of the self. It is this notion of becoming other, and at the same time more fully oneself, which gives body painting it's potential depth of experience."



Grassman's work is powerful and transformative, and truly a pleasure to discover.

Previously on FLESH, INK. FRIDAY: Carolyn Roper / The Australian Museum / Jodee Lenaine Smith / Fredi Schmid / Vladimir Valenta / Anthony Chiappin and Andrew Dunbar / Rich Diltz / Flesh and Color

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Posted by FleshPresser at 4:55 PM /

2 Comments

  • Blogger Ryvr posted at 7:07 PM  
    I very much enjoy this art; thanks for passing it along!

    Peace,
    Ryvr

  • Anonymous Anonymous posted at 2:26 AM  
    Beautiful! Love it.
    -Lizzi

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