body art

Body Art. Ink. Tattoos. Whatever your foray; Body Art is manipulation to human skin. It is transforming a different kind of canvas- into a representation on the skin.  It is an incredible art expression of which has fascinated me for some time.  Like any art, their are the good, the bad, and the ugly the only negative side is that this art work stays in theory forever it wears on you- it becomes an extension of you.   

 Tattoos has been a practice since Neolithic times.  It spans all cultures and all regions; China, Egypt, India, Philippines, Indonesia...often a tribal affair it communicated status, in China you were tattooed if you were a prisoner. In Japan it was uses a a spiritual and decorative purpose. 

Over the past three decades Western tattooing has become a practice that has crossed social boundaries from “low” to “high” class along with reshaping the power dynamics regarding gender. It has its roots in “exotic” tribal practices of the Native Americans and Japanese, which are still seen in present times. Although tattooing has steadily increased in popularity since the invention of the electric tattoo machine in the 1890s, it was not until the 1960s that the place of tattooing in popular culture radically shifted.

Feminist theory has much to say on the subject of tattooing- it is seen as a revolutionary element on the body- a physical mark against social norms. 

 "In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, tattoos were as much about self-expression as they were about having a unique way to identify a sailor's body should he be lost at sea or impressed by the British navy. The best source for early American tattoos is the protection papers issued following a 1796 congressional act to safeguard American seamen from impressment. Men marked their arms and hands with initials of themselves and loved ones, significant dates, symbols of the seafaring life, liberty poles, crucifixes, and other symbols.

Formal interest in the art of the tattoo became prominent in the 1970's through the beginning of the 21st century.  Over the past three decades Western tattooing has become a practice that has crossed social boundaries from “low” to “high” class along with reshaping the power dynamics regarding gender. It has its roots in “exotic” tribal practices of the Native Americans and Japanese, which are still seen in present times.

They are physical representations of whatever you are wishing to express the good the bad and the ugly.   These are a few of my favorite below. Including Zombie Boy http://rickgenest.com/ Sara Blake http://hellozso.com/ and my personal favorite JR http://cargocollective.com/JosephIngram