As a body painter, I have the unique honor and privilege of being a part of shows that resonate with me. Back in 2017, I did three art activations for Alice & Olivia, a New York-based contemporary fashion company, one in Tokyo, and two in New York. One of the activations was at the NY Fashion Week, and the other was a live painting done at the Bloomingdale's on 59th Street. Even though it has been three years, I still remember the excellent feeling of working with Stacey Bendet and being a part of multiple displays that were empowering to women all over the world.
New York Fashion Week
During the New York Fashion Week of 2017, Stacey Bendet revealed her fall collection. The story behind the reveal was an incredible one. For her birthday, someone had given her The Enchantress Of Florence by Salman Rushdie (who, incidentally, was present). She loved the story of being able to command your destiny and chart a course as you see fit in life. That became the theme of her fashion show.
To create a magnificent piece of art around this theme, Stacey wanted a mural from which the enchantress would spring to life. Body painting is a fantastic medium for this type of art - where you want to blur the lines between what's real and what's not, and how we exist with our surroundings. It's also a wonderfully empowering art, showing how we live and become part of our environment but also remain distinct from it. Much like the enchantress, through body painting, we recognize and shape our surroundings to create the art we want!
The result was a magnificent art activation that highlighted the powerful statements that Alice & Olivia were making, which resonated with me!
Bloomingdale's
One of the best aspects of body painting as an art is that it can turn heads, as well as evoke feelings of curiosity and wonder. I had the privilege of being able to do a live activation for Alice & Olivia's new availability in Bloomingdale's. During this installation, I painted a model live in the window of the store. After the painting, the effect was a surreal juxtaposition of beautiful fashion and the human body blending in with those surroundings. It was a fantastic, empowering display that helped showcase Alice & Olivia's latest offerings.
Tokyo: Fifth Anniversary Activation
To celebrate Alice & Olivia's fifth anniversary in Tokyo, I did a unique live painting at the store there. As a camouflage painting against an abstract backdrop painting of Tokyo and Alice & Olivia's place within the city, this art activation required quite a bit of detail to get it to look right. The result, however, was a fantastic piece of art that evoked curiosity and publicity for the brand.
A Continuing Partnership
I have been very proud of the partnership that I have had with Alice & Olivia. We're both lovers of Pop Art, which makes for a special bond. More than that, though, we're both equally passionate about women empowering other women. When this happens, phenomenal fashion and equally fantastic art ensue!