Post-event write up: My Body is Art Exhibition
By Nadia Davis-Pisano June 11, 2016
Friday, June 10th was the second annual My Body is Art Exhibition, a Kahy-söo production, at the Hop Shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn. This was my first time experiencing an art show where the canvas was the human body—which by the way was tastefully done. Welcome to live nude body art.
I walked into the venue with my husband in tow, not knowing what to expect but was keeping an open mind. We walked into a traditional neighborhood bar but were delightfully surprised when we were escorted by Kahy-söo herself to an outdoor space befitting the ambiance of the evening. The show was already in progress and the size of the audience was decent but not as anticipated. However, it was still early.
After chatting with a few people I knew and taking selfies with my hubby, I got back to the reason why we were there, to witness the transitioning of blank canvases into masterpieces. The exhibition featured six artists: Candice “itsmeCan” Rose; "VH1's Art2ink" Naeem Shareef; Saskia "Keyah” Huey; Ayjavelli; Shaina “TouShai” Negrón; and Henry Burgos along with their models—Sea; Shaker Becon; Latashiana; Nathalie Mercado; Amber J.; and Aanisah Ramelize. A diva of a model, Amber J., warranted two artists (art2ink's Naeem Shareef and his assistant Chris), while an artist, Ayjavelli was her own canvas. She did a Mohammed Ali tribute, “fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” which she hand painted, with very intricate details I might add, while looking through several mirrors,”—most impressive! She was one of my favorites of the night. The other (Shaker Becon, model/ Saskia "Keyah” Huey, artist) to the naked eye (pun intended), was of an afro-centric, Queen of the Nile theme. These two were my favorite but I liked them all. It took time and talent to complete these creations. The models had nerves of steel to be exposed to all the attendees, more than 150. I couldn’t imagine having all these eyes on my naked body (but then again, they were in pretty good shape). The artists had steady hands and the precision of a surgeon. Both the models and the artists showed great aplomb and professionalism.
As the night went on, the audience increased exponentially, as did the vibe. A photographer was dancing as he worked, people were buzzing and snapping shots with the models, and our hostess, Kahy-söo, made it her business to engage her guests as well as her artists and models. The event was a success and I’m now a fan who’s looking forward to next year’s masterpieces. Stay tuned …