Conchita Wurst in Gold

The new art work has been unveled for the 2015 Life Ball, and in an annual tradition of provocative imagery, this year drag star Conchita Wurst appears as Gustav Klimt's iconic "Golden Adele" in an image by star photographer Ellen von Unwerth. The posters will shortly be on display in large format on the streets of Vienna, and cast in gold (2015's costume theme) on a medallion by Austrian Mint (as shown by Life Ball founder Gery Keszler below).

The three versions of the poster will variously include the taglines: "Acceptance is a daughter of freedom"; "Freedom grows where rules break"; and "Homeland of great daughter/sons."

"I love Klimt, his paintings with all those colors, all this glamour and all the poetry. I felt very inspired by creating an homage to this extraordinary painting," Ellen von Unwerth enthusiastically says.

"I love Ellen! I knew a few of her works and was incredibly excited to meet her," says Wurst. "What a great woman."

Wurst's dress is embroidered with more than 12,000 Swarovski crystals took approximately 1,250 working hours by the Life Ball Team and Life Ball Angels from the Fashion School Herbststrasse in Vienna.

The Austrian Mint will cast the poster motif in gold to form a Life Ball medallion. 50% of the proceeds of its sale will go to AIDS LIFE.

Last year's posters caused a stir when they featured trans model Carmen Carrera in two versions by David La Chapelle, depicting Carrera as Botecelli's "The Birth of Venus" with female genitalia in one version, and male genitalia in the other.

The 2015 Life Ball, Europe's largest AIDS Fundraiser, takes place May 16, 2015, in Vienna, Austria. For more information, and for images from the Style Bible, click here.