New Mardi Gras (NMG) has revealed the breathtaking premier image from the Spencer Tunick installation “The Base”, that occurred as part of the Mardi Gras 2010 Festival in March this year.

Each person who participated nude in the artwork on the Opera House Steps will receive a limited edition print of the photograph.

“The Base” was an art installation, presented by renowned artist Spencer Tunick and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Over 5,000 people from all walks of life arrived just before dawn on Monday 1st March to participate. The stunning image was created in only a few hours, after all attendees stripped off and formed a base of naked skin across the Sydney Opera House steps.

“I’m really excited that the participants will finally get to see the installation they took part in,” said Spencer Tunick. “Thanks to those participants we were able to capture an amazing moment and artwork that to me represents the equality and diversity of the city of Sydney. I hope the work and the art-action highlighted the city’s acceptance and pride in its gay and lesbian community.”

A second installation took place on Tuesday 2nd March at Lady Bay Beach, for New Mardi Gras members only. The natural beauty of the secluded beach provided the perfect setting for the nude installation.

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.