Artistic gems hidden in plain sight

Art can take many forms; painting, photography, DJing, modelling, singing, make-up and even hairstyling, and when all these things come together it’s magic.

Body Incorporated is a local example of like-minded artists, each masters in their own right, coming together to make art come to life.

The venture began three years ago when, body painter and tattoo artist from Benoni, Charmaine Buttrick, invited a few fellow artists from Benoni, Kempton Park, Boksburg, Randburg, Mountainview and Lonehill to join her at her first Photo and Film Expo.

The Photo and Film Expo, held annually at the Ticketpro Dome in Northgate, is the largest event of its kind in Africa and attracts more than 20 000 photography enthusiasts over a four-day period.

Organisers Matt Raven and Chanti Oosthuizen decided to invite Charmaine to showcase her work at the expo after seeing her work on Facebook.

“The beautifully painted bodies at the event create very interesting and rare photo opportunities for the public,” said Charmaine.

During their first show it became immediately apparent to the team that the interest and intrigue that body painting created, was bigger than their small stand could accommodate.

The only way forward would be growth and a collaborative effort.

So, with the help of Charmaine and Ewaan Buttrick, Laetitia Kenny, Brigitte Lammers, Heleen de Klerk, Mnandi Joubert, Minxy Kydd, Brigitte Lammers, Rudelle Oosthuysen, Thalia Sklair and Melissa Hogarth, Body Incorporated was born.

“Although each member has their own individual career and business, we come together as Body Incorporated to collaborate on large projects that require our unique skill-sets in make-up, hair, body painting and/or special effects make-up.

“Our showcase extravaganza is of course the annual Photo and Film Expo,” said Charmaine.

Captivated and intrigued, like so many others by the world of local body painting, Caxton Local Newspapers recently collaborated with Body Incorporated in a marketing initiative called Newspapers Alive.

This collaboration saw the team bring a host of Caxton mastheads to life on Moloto Nakeng’s skin.

Caxton also sponsored a profile for the winner of the Body Incorporated’s Photo and Film Expo body painting competition Mnandi Joubert, which appeared in the Randburg Sun.

This inspiring venture proves that art is alive and well in the heart of Johannesburg.