Body art is an artistic practice that uses the human body as its medium.
Originally emerging in the 1960s as part of performance art, today it encompasses tattoos, piercings, painting, and digital experimentation.
Through body art, artists explored themes of identity, sexuality, pain, and mortality, often pushing physical and psychological boundaries. Documentation through photography and film was essential, as many works were ephemeral.
Today, the term has broadened to include tattoos, piercings, scarification, and body painting, alongside experimental practices such as implants, bio-art, and virtual avatars. In popular culture, body art is often associated with fashion, entertainment, and self-expression, serving both aesthetic and symbolic purposes.
Body art arose in the liberated climate of the 1960s, influenced by "happenings" organized by John Cage, Allan Kaprow, and the Fluxus movement. Body art uses the body as a medium rather than canvas or sculpture, and often includes an exploration of gender, sexuality, illness, death, and violence. It is often intimate, confrontational, and ephemeral, documented through photography or video. There are strong ties to feminist art, as women artists used their bodies to challenge societal norms.
Influential figures known for their contributions to body art include Marina Abramović, a pioneering performance artist known for endurance-based works like The Artist Is Present. Chris Burden explored pain and danger, famously shooting himself in the arm in Shoot (1971). Vito Acconci used his body to explore voyeurism and intimacy in Seedbed (1972). Carolee Schneemann was a feminist artist known for works such as Interior Scroll (1975), which challenged taboos surrounding female sexuality. Stelarc integrated technology with the body, experimenting with robotics and implants. Ana Mendieta created earth-body works, merging her body with natural landscapes. Orlan used plastic surgery as performance, questioning beauty standards. Yves Klein was famous for Anthropometry performances, in which painted bodies were used to imprint canvases, and Cindy Sherman explored identity and representation through staged photographs of herself.
Beginning as a radical artistic movement in the 1960s, body art redefines the body as a site of artistic, social, and political exploration. Today, it spans from avant-garde performance to everyday tattoos and piercings, reflecting both personal identity and cultural trends.
Recommended Resources
Anima Body Art is an inclusive body-art studio in Elk River, Minnesota, offering piercings, jewelry, aftercare guidance, and appointments. Their website describes them as "an inclusive body art studio focused on helping you express and accept your inner self," and emphasizes professional, patient service for clients of all ages, with age restrictions where applicable. Its location, hours of operation, and online bookings are provided on the website, along with contact details.
https://www.animabodyart.com/
This is a niche blog focused on navel piercing stories, product highlights, and aftercare tips, mixing personal piercing anecdotes with short product posts and practical aftercare advice. Its visible archive features several personal narratives, such as first-time piercings and near-fainting experiences, alongside posts announcing new ring styles and shop additions. Popular topics include healing and aftercare, pregnancy considerations, and style trends. The site reinforces basic steps.
http://belly-button-rings-guide.com/
Operating primarily across France, but also in Spain and Italy, The Body Art Company is a professional team of face-painting and body-painting artists that create custom, live visual performances for events, using high-quality, hypoallergenic products and eco-friendly glitters. The company specializes in face painting, body painting, and artistic make-up for special events, and their approach emphasizes made-to-measure designs that match an event's theme or brand.
https://thebodyartcompany.com/en
The niche website publishes articles on tattoos, body paint, piercings, mehndi, and related body art topics. It aggregates meanings, artist lists, and galleries for enthusiasts and casual readers. Content is grouped into clear categories such as "Tattoos," "Body Paint," "Piercing," and "Mehndi," as well as a "Miscellaneous" category, where visitors will find lists of posts like celebrity tattoo meanings, artist roundups, and gallery-style features, useful for those researching styles.
https://bodyartguru.com/
Ink Different runs a nationwide tattoo apprenticeship and certification program that begins with live virtual training, finishes in local studios, and offers a guaranteed job offer and licensing support upon program completion. The website advertises more than 30 locations, financing options, and a typical 1-year apprenticeship timeline. The site outlines a simple flow: submit artwork for review, interview with an admissions advisor, start virtual training, then complete an apprenticeship.
https://tattooapprenticeships.com/
The Chicago, Illinois-based collective offers professional face painting, body painting, airbrush tattoos, henna, glitter tattoos, UV-glow work, and feature extensions for events and activations. They are available for corporate events, private parties, schools, festivals, and trade shows. The website features event listings, vendor information, core services and specialties, client testimonials, an introduction to their artists, an FAQ, and contact information.
https://www.rockyourbodyart.com/
Founded and operating in Las Vegas since 2005, Skin City positions itself as a hybrid creative agency and live-art studio specializing in transforming corporate and promotional events into visually striking experiences. They emphasize professionalism, creativity, and unique visual impact, highlighting a roster of models and world-class body painters to staff events and activations. Its core services, a roster of models and performers, and contacts are provided.
https://www.skincitybodypainting.com/
Tattoo Design is a free gallery and directory focused on tattoo inspiration, artist features, tattoo parlors, and models. Viewers can browse styles, submit work via Instagram, or contact the site to request to be featured. The site positions itself as an inspiration hub and promotional platform for tattoo artists, models, and parlors worldwide, curating galleries of designs across many styles, highlighting featured artists each month to connect creators with clients and collaborators.
https://tattoodesign.com/
The online tattoo school and community offers structured courses, ebooks, and live mentoring to help beginners and working artists learn fundamentals, advanced techniques, and business skills. The school describes itself as "the world's largest online tattoo school," combining video courses, ebooks, and a community for feedback and mentoring. It includes structured courses, short seminars, masterclasses, business content, ebooks, and quick guides. Online forum discussions are included.
https://tattooing101.com/
A community-driven directory for tattoo inspiration, artists, and shops worldwide, Tattoos is a platform that helps people discover tattoo ideas, locate tattoo shops and artists, and connect with a community to share and rate work. The website emphasizes visual inspiration, searchable artist and shop profiles, and customer reviews to help viewers choose where to get inked. The site features tattoo galleries, a directory of shops and artists, reviews, ratings, articles, and editorial content.
https://tattoos.com/
Trina Merry is a New York-based multimedia artist best known for trompe l’oeil bodypainting that camouflages human bodies into architecture and landscapes. Her work spans fine-art exhibitions, performances, commercial campaigns, and award-winning bodypaint installations. Trina Merry uses the human body as both brush and surface, creating photographic and performance pieces that blur three-dimensional form into two-dimensional imagery. Case studies, brand commission, and contacts are included.
https://www.trinamerry.com/
The long-form tattoo portal combines tattoo designs and symbols, celebrity tattoo coverage, photo galleries, and a dedicated Tattoo Museum covering historical and tribal tattoo traditions from around the world. Its index (home) page highlights categories such as Tattoo Designs & Symbols, Celebrity Tattoos, Tattoo History, Photo Galleries, and Tattoo Videos, ideal for those seeking design ideas and symbolic meanings, researchers, photographers, and artists. A shop directory is included.
https://vanishingtattoo.com/
The World Bodypainting Festival and World Bodypainting Award website has plenty of information on this popular activity. You can find out here how bodypainting is practiced in Austria and South Korea. The website also features pictures and videos of body painting in action. The website is available in English, German, and other languages. Schedules of upcoming events, sponsors, online artist registration, press and media data, archives, and contacts are included.
https://bodypainting-festival.com/en/
