The Body as a Canvas

The Body as a Canvas

Curated by Lars Lindemann & Paolo Woods
Produced for Cortona On The Move 2024 by Associazione Culturale ONTHEMOVE.

Christian scripture prohibits it, Jewish religious doctrine does not tolerate it, and for most Muslim believers it is haram – a major sin. Nonetheless, tattoos, scarifications and other forms of body modification have never been more ubiquitous and accepted than today. Human skin has been used as a canvas for thousands of years. In The Body as a Canvas, images developed for anthropological research are made to coexist with contemporary artistic projects, vernacular images interact with street photography, and portraiture echoes historical images. The wide-ranging works include, among others, images by Chloé Jafé, Klaus Pichler, Denis Rouvre, Herbert Hoffmann, Charles Fréger and Florian Spring. From the most exquisite tattoos to the most vulgar, The Body as a Canvas brings a whole new meaning to the expression “skin deep.”

The exhibition includes works by: Alexander Anufriev, Charles Fréger, Herbert Hoffmann, Chloé Jafé, Mark Leaver, Library of Congress – Washington DC, Denis Rouvre, Klaus Pichler, Uriel Sinai, Florian Spring, Dougie Wallace, Hanne Zaruma.