NYIAS Bodypaint at Javitts Center

Trina Merry Creates Living Car for New York International Auto Show

Artist Trina Merry engaged in a particularly challenging endeavor when she was commissioned to replicate a poster for the 2016 New York International Auto Show using body paint and human volunteers. The poster itself featured an orange sports car on an angular roadway. The artwork itself consisted of ten body painted models who were assembled together to form the visual of the vehicle. According to Merry, “I see it like a puzzle. I just get all the pieces and then I need to figure out how to make the design on top of the puzzle. So it’s half sculpting and half painting.” 

While Merry has a long history of creating visually stunning works using body paint, this was a uniquely challenging project due to the combination of the sculpting with the painting. The process itself took a total of twelve hours as Merry and two assistants completed the body painting. This also required extensive effort and concentration from the models. Merry noted that she typically works with circus performers and dancers whose intensive training provides them with the level of endurance necessary to engage in this creative process. 

The human car was unveiled at the NYIAS press launch party at the Javitts Center and later displayed at a VIP party. As part of the performance art, the models remained stationary in the visual of the human car for several minutes before slowly stretching to move apart from the form. They then performed an ambient dance around the stage before once again reassembling themselves as the human car. This performance was ongoing for two hours, providing spectators the chance to watch throughout the evening. 

In addition to creating the human car, Merry also body painted four circus performers and dancers in a variety of abstract designs. These people performed in various spaces around the room throughout the evening, adding theme, color, and sensuality to the space. Overall, the evening was a testament to Merry’s creativity as an artist. She noted that the combination of performance art and visual art is “revolutionary and provides some really interesting and exciting opportunities for new ideas to emerge.” In fact, the uniqueness of this particular project led to its extensive coverage by The Wall Street Journal. Attendees of these events at the NYIAS undoubtedly were impressed with the creativity of this piece of art.