Neoza Goffin is an interdisciplinary healing artist, curator and touch-based guide from Ghent, Belgium. She explores how the fusion of touch-based rituals and art can be used for psychological transformation. In her artistic practice she combines contemporary themes such as sex positivity, body diversity, colour therapy and inclusivity with spiritual symbolism. She uses installation, photography, VR, video and performance.
Lilac Diversity is a photo series in which individuals of different genders, ethnicities, ages, sexualities, shapes and sizes pose nude in lilac body paint. This colour represents transformation, intuition, creativity and spiritual power. Purple expresses gender as a combination of female and male energy because it is a mix of the traditional girl and boy colours. It is associated with the fluidity of non-binarity and with sexual and gender diversity.
The project responds to contemporary themes of body diversity, inclusivity, spirituality and creates awareness around beauty ideals. The colour has a different effect on each body, making each photo unique. But it also creates a unity and therefore connects all the portrayed individuals.
Lilac is a softer – more naive – version of purple. It awakens playfulness and gives us a feeling of tenderness and care. I do not see naivety as something negative; it allows us to think out of the box. I am aware of our binary thinking and I am interested in the space where it converges, where it becomes complex. I use the colour lilac as a playful phenomenon of the boundary: where it naively comes together, where it is fluid.
The models experience the paint as a kind of suit. They state that they feel nude and covered at the same time. They feel both fragile and strong. This reminds me of the fact that being powerful is not about shielding. It’s about daring to show your vulnerability with confidence.
The process of body painting is a touch-based ritual in which I blindfold the models in order for them to focus on the sensations that go through their bodies. In this way I am able to give them a sensory self-love experience instead of working in a result-based way.
