International Bodypainting Artists Return to Hvar
Artists, photographers, and creatives from Europe and Asia, together with special guest Johannes Stötter, creator of the world-famous optical illusions The Frog and Chameleon, will gather at the fourth edition of the Hvar Bodypainting Festival. Through body art, photography, and the island’s unique locations, the festival celebrates creativity and contemporary artistic expression.
Following the success of previous editions, the Hvar Bodypainting Festival returns to the island of Hvar for its fourth consecutive year, bringing together the global community of bodypainting artists, photographers, and creatives. Over the course of two days, the unique locations of Hvar Town and the Pakleni Islands will be transformed into a meeting point for contemporary art, creative expression, and cultural collaboration.
The festival was founded by Lorena Matas of Esthetique by Lorena, who found the inspiration for creating the event on Hvar itself. The combination of the island’s natural beauty, creative energy, and body art scene has grown into a distinctive international festival and a recognized highlight of Hvar’s pre-season events calendar.
A special value of the event lies in its collaboration with Alex Barendregt, founder of the World Bodypainting Festival and the World Bodypainting Association (WBA), an organization that has connected bodypainting artists and creatives from around the world for more than two decades through festivals, educational programs, and competitions. The Hvar Bodypainting Festival is held under the auspices of the WBA, making it part of a global network of events dedicated to promoting bodypainting as an art form.
This year’s festival is further enhanced by the participation of Johannes Stötter, one of the most renowned body art artists in the world, who will serve as a member of the professional jury. His optical illusions, in which the human body transforms into animals, landscapes, and natural motifs, have captivated audiences worldwide and generated millions of views across digital platforms. He gained global recognition with The Frog, considered one of the most iconic works of contemporary bodypainting, while Chameleon has become one of the most recognizable and widely shared body art creations of recent years.
In addition to his role as a jury member, Stötter will create a live artwork during the festival, offering visitors a rare opportunity to witness the creative process of one of the leading figures in contemporary body art.
This year’s theme, “Stories in Wonderland – Where Everyday Life Turns into a Fairytale,” invites artists to transform everyday scenes into imaginative worlds, creating unique works in which reality, illusion, and creativity meet in unexpected ways.
Twelve artists from Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, Israel, Slovakia, and South Korea will transform the human body into extraordinary works of art. Among the participants are multiple award-winning European bodypainting artists such as Yuri Falzetti and Houyam Hajlaoui, while Korean artists Jinra Kim and Yoon Kim bring a distinctive perspective from the contemporary Asian body art scene.
The festival will also welcome nine photographers from Germany, Canada, Belgium, Italy, and Hungary, who will document both the artistic process and the unique atmosphere of the event. Their works will compete for the award for Best Festival Photograph, further highlighting the essential role photography plays in bodypainting art.
Beyond its artistic value, the festival contributes to Hvar’s cultural and creative offer at the beginning of the tourist season by bringing together participants and visitors from different countries and presenting the island as a destination where art, culture, and contemporary creative industries successfully intersect.
Day One | Competition and Artistic Parade
The first festival day, 13 June, is dedicated to the competition and will take place on Jerolim Island in the unique setting of MagoMago Hvar Restaurant. Throughout the day, visitors will have the opportunity to observe the creation of bodypainting artworks up close and witness the transformation of the human body into a living canvas.
The artworks will be evaluated by an expert jury according to WBA criteria, including technical execution, creativity, interpretation of the theme, and overall artistic impact.
In the evening, the festival moves to Hvar Town, where Veli Đardin will become a gathering place for artists, models, photographers, and visitors. The programme includes children’s entertainment with Bumbo the Clown, followed by a presentation of the competition entries through a parade of painted models. The evening will conclude with the announcement of the winners and the awards ceremony for the best artists of this year’s festival.
Day Two | Creative Jam Session and Live Art Performance
On 14 June, the festival atmosphere moves to Sveti Klement Island, where an open Jam Session will take place at Laganini Beach Club in Vinogradišće Bay, better known as Palmizana.
The day will be dedicated to artistic freedom, the exchange of ideas, and creative collaboration, as artists create body art inspired by nature, the sea, and the unique surroundings of the Pakleni Islands.
In the evening, the programme returns to Hvar Town, where Johannes Stötter, member of the professional jury and one of the world’s most celebrated body art artists, will create a new artwork live before the audience. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to witness the creation of a piece by an artist whose works have travelled the world and become synonymous with excellence in body art.
The live artistic presentation will take place on the terrace of Carpe Diem Bar on Hvar’s waterfront.
The Hvar Bodypainting Festival is organized by Esthetique by Lorena in collaboration with the World Bodypainting Association, co-organized by the Hvar Town Tourist Board, and supported by Split-Dalmatia County.
The festival is made possible through the support of numerous partners and sponsors who recognize the value of art, creativity, and international collaboration, including Carpe Diem, Laganini Lounge Bar, MagoMago Hvar, Pizzeria Kogo, Dalmatinski Portal, Polyclinic Stradivari, Kalelarga, and Kryolan.
As artists come to Hvar to create and photographers capture moments that exist only briefly, the fourth edition of the Hvar Bodypainting Festival will once again demonstrate that Hvar inspires not only travellers but also artists—and that from such encounters, memorable stories are born.
For the full programme and festival details, visit:
