Contortionist Transforms Body Into Alien Beings In Bewitching Photos

Watch as a human being becomes an otherworldly creature before your eyes.
Open Image Modal
Arthur Cadre

We know what a naked body looks like, right? We see our own every day. Arms go here, belly lands there, thighs then knees then calves and feet. Easy, right?

And yet, gazing upon the photographs of French artist Arthur Cadre, that crystallized vision of the body you thought you knew melts into an otherworldly medley of joints, limbs and folds. 

Open Image Modal
Arthur Cadre

Cadre is a dancer, acrobat, contortionist, handbalancer and a photographer. (When he's not twisting his body into various misshapen configurations, he's also an architect.) After performing his first breakdancing step at the age of nine, Cadre immersed himself in the world of international breakdancing competitions. The self-taught performer incorporates techniques from parkour, ballet and circus into his work, thus crafting a style all his own. 

See Cadre's mostly nude body bend and stretch in the images below, as a variety of international natural landscapes serve as a background for his alien invasion. 

Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre
Arthur Cadre

Also on HuffPost:

World Photography Awards
(01 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Steve Cooke, New Zealand, Open Competition 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(02 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Kris Williams, UK, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(03 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Sayan Mukherjee, India, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(04 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Riski Januar, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(05 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Adrian Capusan, Romania, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(06 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Nick Ng, Malaysia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(07 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Marianna Mosconi, Italy, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(08 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Andrey Kozlovsky, Russia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(09 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Kathryn Hallett, Canada, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photograpy Awards
(10 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Ashwini Kapoor, India, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(11 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Denis Esakov, Russia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(12 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Bao Vu, Vietnam, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(13 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Kyaw Kyaw Winn, Myanmar, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(14 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Manuel Fuentes, Chile, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(15 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Georg May, Germany, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(16 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Nick Ng, Malaysia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(17 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Georg May, Germany, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(18 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Ekaterina Grigoryeva, Russia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(19 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Leo Bakx, Netherlands, Open Compeition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(20 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Mohamad Javad Jowkar, Iran, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(21 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Peter Eberhardt, Germany, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(22 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Phạm Xuân Hiện, Vietnam, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(23 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Riski Januar, Indonesia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(24 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Sashikanth Chintla, India, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(25 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Seyms Brugger, South Africa, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(26 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Ali Alzuhair, Saudi Arabia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(27 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Simone Eisath, Italy, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(28 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Steve Cooke, New Zealand, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(29 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Ahmad Zikri Mohamad Zuki, Malaysia, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(30 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Josie Eldred, Australia, Open Competition, 2015 SOny World Photography awards
(31 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Valeria Gradizzi, Italy, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
(32 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Rudi Steenbruggen, Netherlands, Open Compeition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Cioplea Vlad, Romania, Split Second Category(33 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Cioplea Vlad, Romania, Entry, Split Second Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
Image title: Dog Fight
Image Description: This is exactly the moment when Romanian YAK Team is breaking the formation just in front of the public at Bucharest International Air Show. At that moment they look just like they are haunting each other.Image location: Bucharest International Air Show 2014
Ioulia Chvetsova, France, Arts and Culture Category(34 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Ioulia Chvetsova, France, Entry, Arts and Culture Category Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards Awards.
IMAGE TITLE: Holi.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Hindu devotees throw vivid colour at each other to celebrate the start of spring during Lathmar Holi Festival. Hindu brahmans from the village of Nandgaon are covered in colored powder as they sit and sing on the floor during prayers. IMAGE LOCATION: Krishna temple, Nandgaon, Mathura district, state Uttar Pradesh, India.
Gareth Lowndes, New Zealand, Travel Category(35 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Gareth Lowndes, New Zealand, Entry, Travel Category, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Image Title - Desert Dawn
Image description - About 30 minutes after sunrise a hot air balloon is captured in the distance beginning it's descent to land in a camel farm. The image was shot while floating over the dunes in a chase balloon.Image location - Dubai
Andrew Suryono, Indonesia, Nature and Wildlife Category(36 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Andrew Suryono, Indonesia, Entry, Nature and Wildlife Category, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Image title: Orangutan in The Rain
Image description: I was taking pictures of some Orangutans in Bali and then it started to rain. Just before I put my camera away, I saw this Orangutan took a banana leaf and put it on top on his head to protect himself from the rain! I immediately used my DSLR and telephoto lens to preserve this magic moment. Image location: Bali, Indonesia
Cor Boers, Netherlands, Architecture Category(37 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Cor Boers, Netherlands, Entry, Architecture Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: Blaak
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Cube houses (Dutch: Kubuswoningen) are a set of innovative houses built in Rotterdam and Helmond in the Netherlands, designed by architect Piet Blom and based on the concept of "living as an urban roof": high density housing with sufficient space on the ground level. Blom tilted the cube of a conventional house 45 degrees, and rested it upon a hexagon-shapedpylon. His design represents a village within a city, where each house represents a tree, and all the houses together, a forest. IMAGE LOCATION: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Arief Siswandhono, Indonesia, People Category(38 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Arief Siswandhono, Indonesia, Entry, People Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: Timeless affection
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Fina (the girl in the picture) is the younger of my two daughters. Fina used to be scared of cat, which was the reason why we decided to adopt two kittens. We wanted Fina to learn how to live with cats, how to hold them, how to care for them and how to treat them as family members to help her overcome her fear. Now we can proudly say she did! Day by day, 7 months passed by and today Fiona and the cats are best friends, and love and care for each other. In this picture I wanted to show how gracefully they're together in a frame with Leon, one of her babies. IMAGE LOCATION: Banyuwangi - East Java - Indonesia
Miquel Ángel Artús Illana, Spain, Travel Category(39 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Miquel Ángel Artús Illana, Spain, Entry, Travel Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: The trace of an ancient glacier.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,320' Mount McKinley. What used to be glaciers are now white and blue rocks that contrasts with red, yellow, orange and green tundra of this vast natural paradise. The image is taken in Autumn when the colours multiply and make the landscape truly remarkable. IMAGE LOCATION: Denali Park, Alaska
Courtney Colantonio-Ray, USA, Split Second Category(40 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Courtney Colantonio-Ray, USA, Entry, Split Second Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
Image Title: Covered
Image Description: So much of a portrait relies on the face in a photo. But when it’s covered, we can see a whole different side of a person through their movement, their posture and even what we think the expression on their face will be when it’s finally uncovered.Image location: Los Angeles, CA. USA.
Georg May, Germany, Nature and Wildlife Category(41 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Georg May, Germany, Entry, Nature and Wildlife Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: Morning Hour
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A white fallow deer standing in the morning mist an early morning in Eifel National Park, Germany. One hardly dares to move - can only look fascinated. IMAGE LOCATION: Germany
Ralf Wendrich, Germany, Architecture Category(42 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Ralf Wendrich, Germany, Entry, Architecture, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: 'Step by step'
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A staircase in Berlin, reduced to the essential. IMAGE LOCATION: Berlin
Kyle Breckenridge, Canada, Nature and Wildlife Category(43 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Kyle Breckenridge, Canada, Entry, Nature and Wildlife Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
Image title: Dinner Time
Image description: The mother and the cub are Spirit Bears or Kermode bear a subspecies of the North American Black Bear living in the Central and North Coast regions of British Colombia, Canada. These bears are rarer than the Panda Bear in the wild.Image location: Image was taken in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia near a small village called Klemtu. I have been told that this the 2nd time a white mother and cub has been documented. Most mother and cubs are usually a black and white combination
Jubair Bin Iqbal, Bangladesh, People Category(44 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Jubair Bin Iqbal, Bangladesh, Entry, People Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: Vigorous Touch of the Morning
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A Hindu monk is walking in a foggy winter morning of a mango garden of Dinajpur. IMAGE LOCATION: Dinajpur, Bangladesg.
Nick Ng, Malaysia, Split Second Category(45 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Nick Ng, Malaysia, Entry, Split Second Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: The Morning Ritual
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A man washes his feet before bathing in the Hooghly River, part of the Holi Ganges River in the early morning in Kolkata, India. The morning ritual of bathing oneself in the Ganges is a tradition of most Hindus, paying homage to their ancestors and their gods. The river is considered a sacred embodiment of the Hindus. IMAGE LOCATION: Below Howrah Bridge, Kolkata, India
Lisa Vaz, Portugal, Nature and Wildlife Category(46 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Lisa Vaz, Portugal, Entry, Nature and Wildlife Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: In a crowd of King Penguins.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: King Penguins live in large colonies in South Georgia, a spec of an island in the South Atlantic Ocean and just below the Antarctic Convergence. They are very beautiful, gracious and yet almost comical birds and a true delight to observe. This image aims to capture and reflect how gracious and colourful Wildlife can be even at the ends of the Earth. IMAGE LOCATION: old Harbour in South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean.
Diego Arroyo Méndez, Spain, Smile Category(47 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Diego Arroyo Méndez, Spain, Entry, Smile Category, Open Competition, Sony World Photography Awards
IMAGE TITLE: Hamer Man
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Hamer man collecting wood to build a defensive fence for the cattle in the Lower Omo Valley. IMAGE LOCATION: Omo Valley, Ethiopia.
Dainan Zhou, China(48 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Dainan Zhou, China, Entry, Open Compeition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Manny Fajutag, Philippines(49 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Manny Fajutag, Philippines, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Senthilkumar Kandhakrishnan, India(50 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Senthilkumar Kandhakrishnan, India, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Simon Morris, UK(51 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Simon Morris, UK, Entry, Open Compeition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
André Farinha, Portugal(52 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) André Farinha, Portugal, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Zikri Teo, Australia(53 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Zikri Teo, Australia, Entry, Open Compeition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Neil Herbert, UK(54 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Neil Herbert, UK, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Christopher Roche, Ireland(55 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Christopher Roche, Ireland, Entry, Open Compeition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Vicente Moraga Costoso, Spain(56 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Vicente Moraga Costoso, Spain, Entry, Open Compeition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Ho Doan Viet Thong, Vietnam(57 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Ho Doan Viet Thong, Vietnam, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Jaco Marx, South Africa(58 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Jaco Marx, South Africa, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Scott Pattenden, UK(59 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Scott Pattenden, UK, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Jiří Míchal, Czech Republic(60 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Jiří Míchal, Czech Republic, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
Julian Ghahreman-Rad, Australia(61 of61)
Open Image Modal
(c) Julian Ghahreman-Rad, Australia, Entry, Open Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost