There are a number of exercises in Pilates where we create the shapes and movements of other living things: the starfish, the seal, the swan dive, the clam to name just a few. This week I discovered the German artist, Gesine Marwedel.  She specialises in creating beautiful body paintings that transform people into animals and plants.

Using live human skin as a canvas for her work, Marwedel’s pieces have a strange illusory quality, obscuring certain parts of the body, or making them seem like something they’re not.

And her art goes beyond just pleasing the eye. Marwedel has published a book exploring the therapeutic benefits of bodypainting.