Meet Canadian catwalk and circus star Rick Genest alias Zombie Boy, Rico the Zombie

Rick Genest, alias Zombie Boy, is a 25 years old born on August 7, 1985. Zombie Boy grows up in Chateauguay, a Montreal suburb located in Quebec province (Canada), best known for his body art. He’s the oldest and has 2 brothers. At a young age, Rick Genest got the nickname of Zombie Boy after getting brain surgery. Rick Genest brain surgery might have been the event that marks his childhood to the point he initiate a drastic transformation.

From Chateauguay to Montreal streets

Before finishing his high school, at the young age of 16, Rick Genest got his first tattoo. His body parts to be tattoo were his hands. After finishing his high school, Rick Genest left home and survived in Montreal streets by working as a squeegee and performing on freak show circus on the outskirts of Montréal. Rick Genest used the money he earned to get new tattoos. The tattoo transformation process last for 3 or 4 years.

Rick Genest upper body is completed done: his entire head and torso are covered in gory tattoos. Rick Genest own most of his body art to Montreal tattoo artist Frank Lewis who co-owns the Derm FX tattoo parlour. Rick Genest first met Frank Lewis when he was 21. Rick Genest is being considered by many as being the most tattooed man on the planet. Rick Genest own skin had been used as canvas to represent the human body as a decomposing corpse. While promoting her first photography book Neu Sex released in March 2011, the former exotic actress Sasha Grey said, about her performance, that she had used her body as a canvas. Rick Genest may not have too much in common with Sasha Grey, but they both share the same view of their body: a media being used in performance art.

He considered himself punk and he is an active member of the Montreal underground punk scene. Zombie Boy has a passion for gore performance art. Rick Genest has his own carnival project name Lucifer’s Blasphemous Mad Macabre Torture Carnival. In his show, Zombie Boy, also known under his stage name Rico the Zombie performedfakir and geek work. He also does some clowning, like you can see in this YouTube video and sometime lie on a bed of nails.

From Montreal streets to the high fashion catwalks of Paris and Milan

Rick Genest had been discovered on Facebook by Nicola Formichetti. Nicola Formichetti is the creative director of Mugler, fashion director of Lady Gaga, fashion director of Vogue Hommes Japan and fashion director of UNIQLO. That’s how Rico the Zombiestarred in Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” video. Born this Way is Lady Gaga third number-one hit in the United States Billboard. With its reference to occult symbolism Born This Way video is an illuminate manifesto. In the video, Lady Gaga gives birth to Rico the Zombie. Later on in the video, Rick Genest appears with Lady Gaga who wear a replicate of Rick Genest facial tattoo.

Nicola Formichetti brought Rick Genest to Paris catwalk for Thierry Mugler’s latest collection for Paris Fashion Week. But to do so, Formichetti had to hire an immigration lawyer and had to pay for several unpaid municipal infractions. Rick Genest appears in GQ magazine. Zombie Boy also been photograph by famed shooter Steven Klein for the popular magazine Arena Hommes Plus. Rick has made an appearance with Keanu Reeves in the movie 47 Ronin and he’s also have a documentary project on his way in Europe. Multiple projects are on their way for Rick Genest and he might be able to sign a modeling contract worth millions of dollars by the end of 2011.

Rick Genest, homeless tattooed man rises to stardom. The punk scene had met the high fashion industry.