Body art takes on a new level in the 15th annual World Bodypainting Festival held in Austria. The week-long festival functions as the Academy Awards of body paint. Hundreds of artists from around the world gathered to strut their stuff with intricate and colourful designs. Artists competed for the world title in five categories and two amateur awards for airbrush and brush/sponge. Some of the other categories included special effects bodypainting and face painting.
Image: Heinz-Peter Bader
Bright colours and exuberant headdresses filled the streets of Pörtschach for eight days as the competition commenced. Over 40 countries were represented, making the event the biggest international bodypainting event in history. Some of the world champions include Italy’s Matteo Afranotti for the brush/sponge category, USA’s Scott Fray for airbrush, and Belgium’s Houyam Hajiaoui among many others.
Image: Heinz-Peter Bader
This year, the festival featured a giant party where guests were encouraged to bring out their most creative, flashy and freaky sides for a night of creativity, fun and partying. The competition ended just a few short days ago on , 7 July 2013, but projections for an even bigger turnout for next year are already in works.
Image: Heinz-Peter Bader
Image: Heinz-Peter Bader
Image: Alexander Klein
Image: Heinz-Peter Bader
Image: Alexander Klein
Image: Alexander Klein
Image: Heinz-Peter Bader
Images courtesy of:telegraph.co.uk
