New York artist Trina Merry is best known for her unique style that blends body art with photography. By matching the painted body to and incorporating it into a physical landscape, she blurs the line of reality for both the viewer and the subject.

Merry had her subject, UK model Kyle James, pose fully painted in front of Modern Wonders of the World. This “guerrilla-style” approach is common to much of her work, which has been featured in numerous publications, including Time,The New York Times, and Forbes, among many more.

Camouflaged - Chichen Itza, Mexico

About this series: In this series, “Lost in Wonder”, Merry travelled to the Modern Wonders of the World. Surrounded by the aged at the end of their lives climbing stairs with modified ski poles and honeymooners breezing past sites holding selfie sticks, Merry examines Western tourisms impact on memory making, bucketlist dreams, and decaying architecture.

Camouflaged - Colosseum Rome,  Italy

Merry included “wonder” as a part of her process to create these works. She and her model traveled to each site and took a historical tour of the site, often with a private guide. Merry then returned tothe site to sit and observe the architecture, decay, energy of the people and effects of tourism on the sites. Finally Merry returned with her subject to create the work over a period of 1-3 hours onsite,creating and giving energy to the site.

Camouflaged - The Great Wall of China

“Many photographers say they ‘take’ a picture. At major tourist sites like these, there are masses of visual consumers ‘taking’ from this environment without really appreciating the space or the history and culture of the people who made these structures. Artists are culture makers so I couldn’t approach this trip the same way- we “made” a picture and gave energy back to these places.”

Camouflaged - Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

"I really wanted to understand what makes a place ‘great’. Why do these physical structures go down in history? I was amazed that, due to the nature of contemporary tourism, so many people idealize these places but they leave with some selfies, a branded trinket and a bit of disappointment. They looked... lost."

Camouflaged - Stonehedge, UK

"Im profoundly interested in the culture of the selfie. Why are people traveling to these sites for only a brief moment to take a picture and brag to their friends? It completely isolates the architecturalstructure from its original meaning, intent and use. I am highly interested in our methods of memory-making and the ways these are digitalized globally." 

Camouflaged - Petra,  Jordan

"I wanted to examine, what does it look like when we strip down our dreams and confront ourselveswith the reality of these ‘wonders’ of the world.”

Camouflaged-  Ahu Akivi Easter Island, Chile

Camouflaged - Ahu Tongariki,  Chile