INK IN SKIN
A tatto is not just a drawing. You see, a tattoo artist is like a confessor. He writes a man’s story on his body.
Nicolai Lilin, Siberian Education
Marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, by making punctures in it and inserting pigments. This is the meaning of tattoo according to the dictionary, but tattoos have a thousand different meanings: in every culture the meaning change and so does the style of the tattoo itself.
​
A dozen of needles that enter the skin very quickly imprint the image with the ink. You feel them, the needles, you feel every single needle that goes in and out very fast. The blood that comes out, the pain you feel, all to have a design on your skin. The ink in the skin remains forever, it smears, fades, but remains. But you do it despite everything, despite the pain, the blood, the time, you want it at all costs.
​
As soon as it is done, the skin is red, slightly raised and very black. It was worth it. Time passes and the tattoo you got at 18 is still there and will always be there. A memory, that’s what it is, mere memory.
“Daffy Duck, eternal loser but with an incredible strength to always get back up.”
“I did it out of spite as soon as I turned 18. My dad didn’t want to and he had offered me money to not to do it.”
“It has no real meaning, I found it in the tattoo artist’s catalog and I liked it.”
“The Japanese Dragon represents a positive aspect, it is a symbol of strength, wisdom and longevity, and this is how I would like to be.”
“The Maori turtle for me represents the resistance and tenacity that a person must constantly have in life.”
“I wasn’t sure what to do as my first tattoo, so I wanted to represent myself.”
