The images are striking. A woman holds the key to her own body. Another woman’s wrist disappears, gives way to a blister pack of contraceptive pills. A pile of books are embedded in a man’s back.
These are some of the illustrations painted on real bodies by Tokyo-based artist Hikaru Cho to kick-start “My Body My Rights,” Amnesty International’s new global campaign on sexual and reproductive rights.
The two-year campaign is launching with a series of Hikaru’s striking and sometimes surreal images, all painted directly onto the bodies of her models to create a lifelike 3D effect.
You have the right to choose who you love, who you have sex with and what kind of family you want to create.
“You have the right to choose who you love, who you have sex with and what kind of family you want to create, decide if and when to have children, to learn about sex and relationships, have access to healthcare, and to live free from rape and sexual violence. I hope my art can help young people across the world start a conversation about those rights,” said Hikaru Cho told us.
We should all be able to enjoy the right to make decisions about our own health, body, sexual life and identity without fear, coercion or discrimination. But all over the world, people are denied the right to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive lives. People around the world want to see this change.
Amnesty International’s ‘My Body My Rights’ campaign seeks to defend sexual and reproductive rights for all. Learn more about the campaign and take action here.
Amnesty chose to work with Hikaru because of her unique approach to art. She was ideal for the campaign and able to address serious issues in a way that both informs and entertains.
We hope you enjoy her images as much as we do! Check out this time lapse video of how Hikaru made one of the images above and then, just in time for International Women’s Day, take action as part of the My Body My Rights campaign with the Amnesty USA’s Women’s Human Rights Coordination Group.