The history of body modification as a cultural and artistic movement has been told in fragments—through the pages of underground zines, whispered through subcultures, and captured in flashes of grainy photography. But few figures embody its radical evolution quite like Fakir Musafar (1930–2018), the self-proclaimed “father” of the Modern Primitive movement.
In the upcoming documentary A BODY TO LIVE IN, Musafar’s life and influence take centre stage, tracing the movement’s roots from queer underground experimentation to its widespread impact on fashion, art, and performance. The film weaves together arresting 16mm visuals, unseen archival footage, and candid interviews with key cultural figures, including Annie Sprinkle, Ron Athey, Cléo Dubois, Jim Ward, and Midori.
Musafar’s journey began with early explorations in body play, pushing physical and aesthetic boundaries long before the mainstream took notice. His practice—piercing, suspension, branding—drew from Indigenous traditions, spiritual rites, and a deeply personal philosophy of bodily transcendence. What began as private ritualistic experimentation soon found its way into the wider queer underground, emerging as a visible subculture in the 1970s LGBT scene.
Director, Madsen commented: “I met Fakir in 2004 and we remained friends until his death in 2018. During that window of time I came out as trans (I was already queer), came out in the kink community, and spent the next 10 years exploring the relationship between body and spirit both individually and within community. As part of my own gender exploration I have participated in many of the practices featured in this film and have long-term relationships with the interviewees, some going back more than 20 years.”
By the late 1980s, body modification had exploded into a global phenomenon, thanks in part to Musafar’s “Modern Primitives” movement, which gained prominence through the punk subcultural magazine Re/Search. What had once been a fringe practice became a defining feature of alternative identity, influencing everything from avant-garde fashion to the rise of body-based performance art.
A BODY TO LIVE IN doesn’t just chart the aesthetics of body modification—it examines its deep, often overlooked intersections with sexuality, spirituality, and survival. The film delves into the pivotal role of body modification during the AIDS epidemic, the Radical Faerie movement, and the first piercing shops that laid the groundwork for a now-booming industry. At its core, the documentary is an inquiry into ownership of the body—who controls it, who decorates it, and what it means to push against its limits.
Structured around 100+ hours of unseen footage from Musafar’s personal archive, the film unfolds in static 16mm portraits, intercut with conversations between past and present pioneers of the movement. The result is an intergenerational dialogue—one that questions cultural responsibility, artistic appropriation, and the ongoing impulse to transcend flesh.
Musafar’s legacy is, at once, a deeply personal journey and a shared artistic lineage. A BODY TO LIVE IN ensures that the story of body modification is more than a subcultural footnote—it is a lasting, evolving piece of contemporary history.
The International Premiere of A Body To Live In takes place on 20th March 2025 at the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. The festival runs from 19th – 30th March at BFI Southbank.
©2025 BFI
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