The Art of Body Bending

Karla Bautista, AKA Art of Bodybending, is a multidisciplinary artist who aims to stretch the limits of the body and mind through bold performances and social commentary. She embodies flexibility by combining her various art forms simultaneously in her performances, that showcase her multitude of personas. A self-taught avant-garde storyteller singer-songwriter, and contortionist fine art model and pole dancer, she ran away from home at age 15 to pursue the arts that her family refused to support her with.

After her adventures and misadventures surviving on her own as a teenager, she got her first opportunities to learn and practice her art at age 20. For the next seven years, she has been pushing the boundaries of her home country's conservative beliefs to provide avenues for freedom and self-expression for all as a means of healing.

Karla lives in Manila, Phillippines and works as a preschool teacher and pole dance instructor. She constantly looks for new spaces to take up her full authentic self and meet collaborators and audiences to share her message with.