Experimenting with appearance has become a way for one person to express himself radically: Evgeny Bolotov, known online as the “platypus man,” once looked very ordinary ‑ without tattoos and piercings, with familiar facial features. Over time, he set himself the goal of achieving an external resemblance to a platypus and began a transformation that quickly attracted attention.
To get the desired effect, Evgeny regularly installed and enlarged implants in his lips and earlobes, gradually stretching the tissues. As a result, the lips have lengthened to such an extent that normal movements and meals have become difficult, and eating has caused serious problems.
Due to the changes, he lost about 30 kilograms and was diagnosed with anorexia, but at the same time gained the status of a living art object: he was invited to exhibitions, street shoots and discussed on social networks. Eventually, he moved to a big city, where the shock effect mixed with the urban crowd, and his online image began to fade.
Today, it remains to be seen whether Evgeny is preparing a new, even more radical transformation, or has found another way of self-expression. Looking at his old photos and current changes evokes strong emotions and makes you think about the limits of freedom in expressing yourself.
