Anatomical body painting for Canal+: when art meets sports medicine

A collaboration in the service of sports education

Since October 2025, I have had the privilege of collaborating with Canal+ for the show La Clinique des Sports, hosted by Lyes Houhou. Once a month, thanks to Hemton Kiné, I create anatomical body paintings illustrating the injuries and physical characteristics of high-level athletes.

Body painting transforms human skin into a true anatomical canvas. It is a powerful visual means to raise awareness among the general public about physical health issues in patients.

The show La Clinique des Sports: a concept that resonates with me

La Clinique des Sports explores the intimate links between athletic performance and overall health. Sports doctors, physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, and psychologists gather there to analyze in depth the physical and mental preparation of athletes, the prevention of their injuries and pathologies, and their strategies for recovery and reconstruction after a bodily impairment.

What interests me particularly in this collaboration is that the show also addresses mental health disorders and the psychological difficulties that can affect high-level athletes. These are subjects that are still too often taboo in the world of sport, even though many athletes are beginning to speak out about these issues.

Expertise and experience meet to better understand the body and mind of professional athletes, addressing both the physical plane and the psychological aspects of an athlete's life.

My artistic approach: anatomy painted on the body

For each show, I create a custom anatomical body painting directly related to the theme addressed by the guest: cruciate ligaments, hamstrings, swimmer's shoulder, physiological adaptations during pregnancy...

Each creation requires several hours of meticulous work to draw and paint anatomical structures with precision.

My goal is multiple:

  • Illustrate anatomical structures in a way that makes visible what is normally hidden under the skin.
  • Make complex medical concepts accessible to the general public, including invisible illnesses and pathologies that are often misunderstood.
  • Create a visual bridge between the experts' discourse and the bodily reality of athletes.
  • Raise awareness about injury prevention and the importance of listening to oneself.

The fundamental idea of my approach? To share anatomical knowledge through an artistic approach that places the human body as a full-fledged learning tool.

The first four episodes: a dive into the bodies of champions

Episode 1: Romain Ntamack and cruciate ligaments

Romain Ntamack, a member of the French national rugby team, opened this new show.

For this first body painting, my mission was to draw the ligamentous structures essential for knee stability, a part of the body particularly stressed in contact and pivot sports. The body painting I created therefore represents the cruciate ligaments, collateral ligaments, and the leg's muscular structures.

Bodypainting anatomique jambes

Episode 2: Kevin Mayer and hamstring rupture

For this show, I created a body painting of the thigh muscles with a zoom on hamstring rupture.

bodypainting anatomique jambe

Episode 3: Clarisse Agbegnenou, pregnancy and high-level sport

For this episode, we had to show the reconciliation between pregnancy and high-level sports practice.

The body painting was therefore inevitably going to be a body painting of a pregnant woman, who actually felt faint during the painting—nothing serious, but the anecdote will remain!

Bodypainting ventre femme enceinte

And a second one on another model to show the abdominal wall postpartum.

Bodypainting sangle abdominal

Episode 4: Maxime Grousset and swimmer's shoulder syndrome

Swimmer Maxime Grousset closed this first series of episodes by addressing a pathology typical of his discipline: swimmer's shoulder syndrome.

The anatomical body painting was therefore there to represent the superficial and deep shoulder muscles.

Bodypainting muscle du dos

La Clinique des Sports is broadcast monthly on Canal+ and hosted by Lyes Houhou.

To discover all my body painting projects, murals, and anatomical illustrations, visit the En Chair et en Os website.

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