Sydney Gay and Lesbian MardiGras

Commissioned by New Mardi Gras with assistance from the City of Sydney.

On March 1st 2010 renowned artist Spencer Tunick and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras presented the nude installation called, ‘Mardi Gras: The Base’ by Spencer Tunick. The forecourt of the iconic Sydney Opera House was transformed into a base of human flesh made up of thousands of Australians united from all walks of life.

Participants included; A pregnant woman who will be rush to the hospital directly after the installation to be induced – she and her husband are expecting twin girls!

Renowned Australian DJs
Rugby league players
Retirees
Doctors
Sailors
Teachers

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has been in talks with Spencer for over two years to bring this commission to life.

ABOUT SPENCER TUNICK

Born in Middletown, New York in 1967, Tunick currently lives in the Hudson Valley in New York State. Since 1992, he has done more than 95 short-lived, site-specific installations across the United States, Canada, and overseas, and his installations have been commissioned by SITE Santa Fe, New Mexico (2001); XXV Bienal de Sâo Paulo, Brazil (2002); Lyon Biennial, France (2005); Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle Gateshead, England (2005); and the Vienna Kunsthalle, Austria (2008) among others.

Tunick’s installations encompass dozens, hundreds or thousands of volunteers; and his photographs are records of these events. The individuals en masse, without their clothing, grouped together metamorphose into a new shape. The bodies extend into and upon the landscape like a substance. These grouped masses which do not underscore sexuality become abstractions that challenge or reconfigure one’s views of nudity and privacy. The work also refers to the complex issue of presenting art in permanent or temporary public spaces.