THOUSANDS STRIP FOR ART ON SYDNEY’S BONDI BEACH

SYDNEY—Thousands stripped naked on Sydney’s iconic Bondi beach Saturday for an art installation aimed at raising awareness about skin cancer and sun safety.

The famous surf strand became a nudist beach for the day as around 2,500 volunteers peeled off at dawn to pose for artist Spencer Tunick.

The American photographer’s strategically taken shots tried to hide his subject’s modesty as he gave instructions over a megaphone from an elevated work platform.

The large-scale art event “Strip Off for Skin Cancer” was in collaboration with a charity that encourages Australians to have regular skin checks.

Good cause

The number of volunteers represented the 2,000+ Australians who die each year due to skin cancer.

“I’ve spent half my life in the sun and had a couple of malignant melanomas taken off my back,” participant Bruce Fasher, 77, told AFP.

“I thought this was a good cause and I love taking my clothes off on Bondi beach.”

Tunick is known for artworks of naked crowds at wellknown landmarks around the world, including a similar event at the Sydney Opera House in 2010.

“It is only fitting that I use my platform to urge people to get regular checkups to prevent skin cancer,” he said.

ON TOP OF EVERYTHING US art photographer Spencer Tunick directs some 2,000 models during a photo shoot on Nov. 26.

—PHOTOS BY AFP SEA OF HUMANITY Participants pose nude at sunrise on Sydney’s Bondi Beach to raise awareness for skin cancer.