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| Courtesy of Daegu International Bodypainting Festival |
By Jon Dunbar
Bodypainting and fantasy makeup artists and models from Korea and around the world will descend on Kolon Field Concert Hall in Daegu's Duryu Park this weekend for the 2018 Daegu International Bodypainting Festival (DIBF).
The event turns people's bodies into canvases for works of art, brought to life by the contours and movements of the human body.
Although bodypainting in some form is timeless in many cultures, it was popularized in the West as part of youth culture in the 1960s and spread to Korea the same decade. The Korean media gave it much sensationalist coverage, simultaneously condemning and inviting readers to be titillated at nude and semi-nude images. When the Park Chung-hee government cracked down on youth culture in the 1970s, bodypainting was one of its targets.
But DIBF has had no such troubles, as it counts Daegu City as an official sponsor. It may also help that nudity is prohibited, with models wearing underwear and other covers.
"In the early days, there were many reactions from the majority of people who were unfamiliar with it, and some obscene views existed, but I think they are now accepted as part of culture," Moon Jong-ho, a member of the festival organizing committee, told The Korea Times.
The event, hosted by local private broadcaster TBC, has been held on the last weekend of every August since 2008, making it the first of its kind in Asia, according to Moon, who is also a deputy director of advertising at TBC.
The DIBF will feature contests for bodypainting, fantasy makeup and models, with the contests held Saturday and winners announced Sunday. Various cash prizes are available, with the top winner receiving a trophy and 10 million won.
Moon expects 150 participants from 61 teams representing 14 countries. The theme for this year's DIBF is "Love."
"Most of the artists are experts and students in related fields," he said. "We express the differences in culture according to our community or personal experience in our works and increase our understanding of various cultures through comparison with other people's works."
Participants pay 100,000 won to enter the bodypainting contest and 50,000 won for the fantasy makeup contest. Admission is free for the general public. The event also offers visitors free facepainting and nail art, as well as live music and fireworks.
Visit dibf.co.kr or fb.com/DaeguBodypainting for more information.
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