Thousands bare all on Australian beach for skin cancer awareness

Sydney, Australia, Nov 26 (EFE).- Nearly 2,500 people bared all on the Australian Bondi beach in Sydney on Saturday to raise awareness about skin cancer prevention.

A part of the beach was declared “temporary nude” as part photoshoot staged by photographic artist Spencer Tunick.

Tunick claimed 2,500 volunteers attended the event to honor those who have died from skin cancer or have fought this disease, which he described as Australia’s “national cancer” due to its high prevalence.

The event, “Strip for Skin Cancer,” was held in collaboration with the NGO Skin Check Champions, which provides free skin cancer screenings to vulnerable people in Australia.

The number of volunteers, who stripped for the shoot by the artist, known for staging mass nude photo shoots at global landmarks, represents over 2,000 Australians who die of skin cancer each year.

Tunick previously organized nude photoshoots near the Sydney Opera House in 2010 and twice in Melbourne in 2001 and 2018.

He has directed similar events in Barcelona and Mexico also.

The event was held in the backdrop of the National Skin Cancer Action Week in Australia.

The country has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with approximately two in three Australians diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime.

“Around 2000 Australians will die from this disease this year, and it is estimated that almost twice as many men as women will die from melanoma this year alone,” the nonprofit Cancer Council said in a statement.

The Australian government announced a two-year multi-million dollar skin cancer prevention campaign to mark the start of National Skin Cancer Action Week, which ends on Sunday. EFE

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