Body Painting Evolved: Emma Hack Body Art

In a world where body painting is celebrated more often with testosterone than artistic appreciation, Australian artist Emma Hack stands out. This skin illustrator, sculptor and photographer spent her early days as a hairstylist and make-up artist in Adelaide. In its infancy, Emma Hack saw her vision come to life in unlikely places, like face paintings for children or high-fashion makeup. It wasn’t until 1999 that Hack revealed her new form of art for the body, a stylized version of body painting that instantly won her a note of applause in the art world.

Emma Hack’s latest collections include a focus not just on the human body, but its environment. Since 2005, she has released a series of Wallpaper works that merge the human body with the wallpaper designs of Florence Broadhurst. Broadhurst’s lush, organic wallpapers are painted on nude models by Hack, who are then seamlessly inserted into the Broadhurst original. The result is an illusory, stunning image of nude humanity on natural, stylish patterns. While Hack’s originals may not be available in living form, her prints are an ideal background for your own modern home.