By Barbuti
A crowd of approximately 2,500 Aussies stripped down to their birthday suits Saturday on Sydney’s Bondi Beach to remind people to get regular checks for skin cancer – the country’s fourth most common cancer.
Participant Robyn Lindner worried about baring it all – but was glad she did.
“I was secretly terrified (and) last night I have to confess I was thinking, ‘What have I done?’” she said. “But it was great, everyone was a really good vibe, everyone was really respectful and it just felt really fun.”
New York-based photographer Spencer Tunick – known for his nude group shots in public places – partnered with the Australian charity Skin Check Champions for the project, as part of National Skin Cancer Action Week.
“We have an opportunity to raise awareness about skin checks and I’m honored… to come here, make my art and just celebrate the body and protection,” said Tunick, who stood atop a cherry picker and used a megaphone to guide the ‘buff’ crowd into position for the shots.
“We gathered in nothing but our skin, watching the first rays of light creep over the horizon of Bondi Beach, standing with respectful strength, honoring all those who’ve been killed or done battle with our ‘national cancer’, knowing that we will be the generation to stop it,” the photog wrote on Instagram.
The Australian federal government estimates that 17,756 new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the country this year alone, and 1,281 Aussies will die from the disease.
This was the largest crowd that Tunick has organized since 2016, and the second he has brought together in Sydney. In 2010, he captured a throng of 5,000 on the steps of the Sydney Opera House as part of the city’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebration.
