For many people, the choice
to get a tattoo is an important one. This decision is generally followed by
carefully considered rationale, followed of course by the pain endured to
obtain these permanent marks. There are, however, societal stigmas associated
with tattoos and those who have them. While this has shifted somewhat in recent
years, certain presumptions persist. My work seeks to redirect attention from
common, reactionary responses to a more reflective consideration of those
adorned with tattoos. Rather than suggesting tattoos define an individual, my
photographs demonstrate how tattoos serve as a supplement to whom that person
already is.
Presented as diptychs, each photographic pairing contains
a large-scale, black and white portrait of a single subject accomplished by a
smaller scale color image of their tattoo. The larger size gray scale image
draws out a raw realness in each person, while the depiction of the tattoo
suggests an addition of vibrancy. Comparisons are inevitable drawn between the
two, leading one to consider what the portrait represents in relation to the
permanence of the tattoo. While the ink of a tattoo is permanent, the meaning
of that tattoo is not a permanent reflection of who a person is.
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