Contemporary Tattoo Research Articles

Inked Expressions: An appreciation of selected contemporary tattoo art among Ghanaians in Kumasi and Accra metropolises

Tattooing has been practiced for several years across the world. It is considered an art form that transmits cultural expressions and reflects the differences between groups of people globally. In Ghana, the popularity of contemporary tattooing has soared for various reasons. However, there is little scholarly research on tattoo culture in Ghana. Therefore, the study attempts to appreciate the aesthetic elements of selected contemporary tattoos in Kumasi and Accra metropolitan areas to reveal their social, philosophical, and other underpinnings. Qualitative ethnographic approach was employed in which a total of twenty-two (22) tattooed respondents were obtained for data collection using homogenous purposive and exponential discriminative snowball sampling techniques. Unstructured-Interviews and naturalistic observations constituted the data collection instruments. The study found that contemporary tattoo designs in Kumasi and Accra metropolises diversely included minimalist designs, religious symbols, portraits, decorative designs, philosophical symbols, among others, which aesthetically convey the religious identity, philosophy of life, and self-expression of tattoo wearers. While the study concludes that contemporary tattoo art in Ghana (Kumasi & Accra) is an embodiment of a dynamic and evolving art form that symbolically resonates with the persona, philosophy of life, sociocultural and religious expressions of tattoo wearers, it is recommended that further research should be conducted on the side effect of tattoo art on the health of tattoo wearers in Ghana. This will help determine whether or not tattoo art should be formalised as an acceptable academic field of study as well as be promoted by art institutions, galleries and museums in Ghana.

A Sun that Never Sets: Eastern Cherokee Tattoo Artist John Henry Gloyne and the Aesthetics of Reimagining

Abstract: This article examines a selection of work by contemporary tattoo artist John Henry Gloyne (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) to understand how tattooing functions as an Indigenous creative practice that can imagine alternative realities and reestablish connections to Native pasts and presents. Gloyne's work redefines contemporary Native tattooing by highlighting its continuing significance and artistic innovations in the present. In doing so, Gloyne's work challenges the settler notion that Native cultural practices are static and stuck in the past. The authors' analysis includes Gloyne's reinvention of Cherokee symbols (water spider and Booger mask tattoos), early/mid-twentieth-century Americana tattoo flash, and his tattoo-inspired painting Sacred Realms: Tobacco Offerings to the Picture Machine . Honma and Francoso employ an analytic of "reimagining" to investigate how Gloyne's work embraces an ethos of experimentation and innovation that moves beyond settler frameworks of comprehension. In order to understand how he challenges various modes of representation and ways of looking that normalize the settler project, they historicize the symbols and motifs found in Gloyne's work. They incorporate interdisciplinary methods of visual analysis, historical recontextualization, and interview data to center Gloyne's unique aesthetic approach, which foregrounds renewed ways of envisioning and embodying Indigenous worlds.

Tattoos: Art, Symbol, and History in Dayak Salako

It is the product of qualitative research with a phenomenon approach that covers several stages of observation, deep interview, and documentation. This qualitative work is done in the large Sajingan district, Sambas. The research discussed the phenomenon of tattooing the Dayak Salako people. In the Dayak, tattoos get important attention inside, where the value and meaning behind the tattoo motif adorns the body of the Dayak. The tattoo on the dayak has a long history. Especially the traditional tattoo that is commonly known to the dayak people as the flower of eggplant, it is one of the tattoos in dayak Iban. In Dayak Salako's own well-known tattoos are a form of transcultural interaction with other hackers who have tattoos. Views have also been given to tattoos in which the study includes two types of tattoos found in the Dayak Salako, it has a traditional motif and contemporary tattoos. With the development and progress of knowledge technology regarding tattoos and tattoo meanings transferred to a new meaning to the use of tattoos among the Dayak Salako people. New tattoo motifs emerged that included artistic value, meaning, and viewpoint. The essence of the tattoos used by the dayak Salako people has become an interesting issue because of their many interfaces with the Dayak Iban and their tattoos add to their knowledge of the tattoo.

포스트하위문화 관점의 한국 타투문화

This study investigated the phenomenon of modern people enjoying tattoo culture in Korea from the perspective of post subculture. A qualitative study was conducted using both literature review and in-depth interview methods. For post-subculture perspectives, the theories of Maffesoli (2017) and Thornton (1996), which are suitable for interpreting contemporary tattoo culture, were reviewed in terms of seven concepts: sporadic network, grouping, fluid participation, temporary emotional bond, self-distinction, pursuit of underground culture, and display and concealment. Semi-structured questionnaires were constructed and administered based on the organized characteristics. Five cultural qualities of the tattoo phenomenon in Korea were derived based on post-subculture concepts. Sporadic formation is related to the pattern of inflow into tattoo culture, and “streaming” participation is based on fluid participation and temporary ties. Distinction within subculture is based on self-distinction and pursuit of underground. The costume-playing ordinary concept includes the characteristic of controlling the exposure of tattoos in society. Finally, formation of the consumer tattoo market was newly discovered in Korean tattoo culture.

In between Birth and Death, Past and Future, the Self and the Others: An Anthropological Insight on Commemorative and Celebrative Tattoos in Central Italy

European society has been described more than once as poor in shared rites of passage. The manipulation of skin seems to be an increasingly popular solution to fulfil perceived cultural gaps. Can contemporary tattoos be interpreted as tools of commemorating life events, especially in the occasion of births and deaths? This article analyses meanings associated with tattoos collected during two ethnographies in central Italy. Based on qualitative interviews and participant observation, the first fieldwork focuses on death-commemorative tattoos, while a 2020 (n)ethnography investigates birth-celebrative tattoos. Data confirm that the body is the mirror of the self and the skin works as the plastic stage where the embodiment of mourning and other emotions meets the social world. Tattoos are attempts of personalized spiritualities, where births and deaths become key-moments of existence that are elected pillars of the self. However, they are not (only) a private affair. This paper addresses the intersubjective valence of tattoos and their communicative purpose. In parallel with references related to both the self and the others, ethnographical data support an interpretation of tattoos as modern self-making strategies, applied to re-ordinate the past and to project a suitable self for the future.

Ritual act, technology, and the efficacy of traditional tattooing among the Igorots of north Luzon, Philippines

What are the social dimensions involved in the technology of traditional tattooing among the Igorots of north Luzon, the Philippines? Based on a long-term anthropological fieldwork among the Igorots, an examination of the varying traditional tattooing practices of these ethnic groups demonstrates that the significance of batok (traditional tattoos) does not only lie in their symbolic and aesthetic qualities, but also in the rituals performed, the taboos observed, and the technology employed in the production of tattoos. The tattoo's appearance on skin is also dependent on the method or technique employed in the production of designs; the varying pigments used to produce a blackish, greenish, or bluish color in tattoos that mark the identity of a group; and the symmetry and arrangement of tattoos. More importantly, this paper explores the social and cultural practices involved in the production of batok for these to achieve the efficacy of purpose and function . This paper examines how the technology of tattoos, along with rituals and their associated taboos, contributes to the production of what is classified among the Butbut of Kalinga as: whayyu or maphod (“beautiful”), rather than lagwing (“unpleasant”); unfinished versus finished; and “thin or thick” tattoos. Traditional tattooing was formerly practiced in the confines of collective and place-based rituals among the people of the Philippine Cordillera. However, the rarity, rawness, and the particularity of the technology used in the production of these tattoos render them more “authentic,” as such, traditional tattooing has entered contemporary tattoo practices in the Philippines as a form of revival.

I’ve got you under my skin: Tattoos and religion in three Latin American cities

In this article, the author argues that some contemporary tattoos might be considered ‘sacralization practices’, that is, processes whereby the subjects distinguish some reality they deem special from the rest. The author studied Latin Americans’ tattoos in a context of mainstream life, while paying attention to designs, meanings, and the interaction of tattoos with religious membership. Based on a non-random sample of 21 subjects from three different cities, socio-economic statuses, gender, and religious affiliation, this article explores what realities are sacralized by urban Latin Americans in contexts of daily life by getting them under their skin. The findings show that tattoos are a preferred way for Non-Affiliated persons to express their inner realm, that tattoos sacralize some experiences that are different from the profane giving them permanence, and finally that tattoos even when they are very personal and intimate, involve a connection with a community.

The Aesthetically Meaningful Tattoo: A Gadamerian Case Study

The paper focuses on Gadamer's philosophical aesthetics, explaining the artistic meanings and experiences of contemporary tattoos and tattooing. The paper discusses further by looking specifically at the following sub-concepts concerning an aesthetically meaningful tattoo from the perspective of tattoo artists and enthusiasts. Contemporary tattooing is considered mainstream; it is also one of the fastest growing industries globally. This provided different perspective in the development of contemporary tattooing. It includes the understanding and interpretation of the aesthetic experience and meaning. The paper sees this opportunity of investigating under the philosophical aesthetic perspective contemporary tattooing through the accounts of the artists and enthusiasts in a community. The study with phenomenological approach under Gadamerian aesthetics interviewed different contemporary tattoo artists and enthusiasts under one community. The study used the qualitative methodology by doing key informant interviews. It provided the qualitative in-depth interviews with people who have the knowledge of what was going on in the community. The study focused on the aesthetic experience of the artists and enthusiasts while interpreting it on Gadamer’s aesthetic and the concepts of pain and permanency. The study also discussed the aesthetically meaningful tattoo explained through the fulfillment and realization of the aesthetic concepts. Through this, the paper arrived in the signification of contemporary tattooing.

“It Represents Me:” Tattooing Mixed-Race Identity

Research on tattoos reveals that desire for something to “mark their bodies with indelible symbols of what they see themselves to be” has become a main driver behind contemporary tattoo acquisitions (Sanders 1989:61). One identity that researchers have recently begun to investigate with regard to expression via tattoos is race; however, exploration considering those with multiple racial heritages, that is, mixed-race people, is lacking. This article begins to illuminate this lacuna by drawing on in-depth interviews with mixed-race people in the United States and United Kingdom to examine the practice and meaning behind their tattoos. Finding both similarities and differences, both between mixed- and single-heritage individuals and between mixed-race people of different heritages, this study adds to scholarly knowledge of the ways in which various identities are being expressed, or not, via tattooing.

Marked: Tattoo as an Expression of Psyche

Tattoo is a practice that is thousands of years old, appearing in virtually every corner of the world. Since the rise and expansion of organized nation states, it has often been subject to negative judgments, identified with a primitive cultural level, low social status, or even criminality. This article provides a brief overview of the history of tattoo, identifying associated cultural complexes and considering factors in the contemporary resurgence of tattoo's popularity. Against this backdrop, a qualitative study of a group of contemporary tattoo wearers is presented. Selected tattoos are reproduced and examined in detail from a psychological perspective, along with the wearers' own accounts of their motivations and experiences. From these accounts emerge five basic themes: self-empowerment, identification with a group, memorialization, “a message to oneself,” and the transformation of pain into beauty. Broader consideration is then given to different levels of meaning that a tattoo may carry for the wearer, working from examples of a particular motif often chosen: that of birds. Previous authors have pathologized wearers as masochistic, due to the pain involved in receiving a tattoo. Others tend to view tattoo as purely ornamental in function. The purpose of this article is to balance the picture by remaining open to tattoo as an expression of psyche. The emerging story is one in which choosing, receiving, and wearing a tattoo can be part of living a symbolic life.

Using Dramaturgy to Better Understand Contemporary Western Tattoos

AbstractSpurred on by increasing participation rates, scholarship on tattoos in Western societies has increased noticeably in recent decades. Often focusing on members of the middle class, scholars have assumed that the increasing number of people with tattoos is evidence of mainstream acceptance. In the following article, I critically evaluate claims of tattoo's new mainstream status. Rather than being embraced by the mainstream and power elite, studies and legal proceedings show that tattoos and piercings are only tolerated to a certain degree. I suggest that applying Erving Goffman's dramaturgical approach to contemporary tattoos provides a more complete understanding of tattoo's cultural location. It also allows the focus of the discussion to move beyond the individual attributes and motivations of tattoo wearers and onto the social interactions surrounding them. Moreover, a dramaturgical analysis of tattoos shows the need to properly differentiate between tattoos that are always visible and those that can be concealed. I end by offering a conceptualization of visible tattoos for future sociological research.

Media and contemporary tattoo

Tattoo phenomenon, initially associated with traditional ethnic groups and later with marginal cultures, has in recent decades experienced unprecedented expression in contemporary societies spreading out into very diverse segments of the population, where this practice was heretofore alien. Originally associated with rituals and sacred rites, for some, tattoos have become increasingly fashionable, with this trend largely driven by mediated diffusion channels. Accordingly, the presence of tattoos is evident in the street as well as in the media. This paper is an approach to the role of the media in this state of affairs. During the course of this research, in-depth interviews were carried out with professional tattoo artists and individuals who have been tattooed, in order to learn about the various aspects involved in the mediation of the tattoo and in its execution. As a result of these interviews, it has been established that media have influenced the increase in popularity of this practice, both from the clear perspective of the tattoo’s quantitative presence in urban environments, and from the different ways in which visibility has been granted to the tattoo by the media through various platforms and formats involving a variety of areas ranging from, among others, the training of tattoo artists, visual styles, social legitimization of their use, the personal meaning given to tattoos and the reasons for getting tattooed, among others.

From the stigmatized tattoo to the graffitied body: femininity in the tattoo renaissance

This article analyzes the spectacularly rising popularity of tattoos by showing that tattoos have become a spatial project in the largest sense: the way they participate in the creation of social space is different from that of tattoos before the Tattoo Renaissance. I explain this project as a shift from tattoos to body graffiti. In the past (predominantly male) tattoo-spheres could be located within the margins of society. Once an identity had been assumed through the adoption of a tattoo, the person could be assigned a particular geographical position within an urban sphere. Contemporary tattoos have this one-dimensional identifying function to a much lesser extent, which influences the way in which these tattoos create space. Within the new tattoo space, the skin does not wear the stigmatic mark, nor does it function as a screen of male desire, but it becomes a wall on which multiple desires are projected. In this sense, tattoos have become graffiti. I establish the particularity of the female tattoo as opposed to the masculine tattoo by focusing on an important element of the pro/contra discussion of female tattoos: the purity and ‘blankness’ of the female skin. Jean Baudrillard's concept of the blank female skin as a ‘void’ that men rush to fill with their own desires is central to this discussion. Finally, I show that the spatial function of narcissistically oriented female tattoos is at least partly established within the Suicide Girls interactive website.

Tattoos as Narratives: Skin and Self

This article explores the polysemic nature of contemporary tattoos by comparing interviewees‘ perceptions of the meanings of their tattoos with the meanings which can be imputed to them by a researcher studying cultural history and semiotics. After systematically comparing the referencing and mapping of tattoos by interviewees in St. John‘s, Newfoundland, the author argues that tattoos should be viewed in a light that reflects the endless potential of human self-expression. Part of this statement is meant to address the structure-agency dichotomy which has long been reflected in the literature on sociological theories and the tattooing/body literature. Another part is meant to give substantive evidence to the claim that regardless of motivations or meanings, the truth behind meaning and identity can only be found in complex and ephemeral moments which populate the life of the cultural and individual actor.

Do the “Savage Origins” of Tattoos Cast a Prejudicial Shadow on Contemporary Tattooed Individuals?

We investigated whether increases in tattooing rates and designs have eradicated or altered traditional delinquent tattooing stereotypes. We tested the perceived suitability of tattooed and non‐tattooed individuals for 2 different jobs. Affective evaluations mediated judgments of job suitability, with those displaying traditional tattoos being rated as less suitable for employment than those who were not tattooed and those displaying contemporary tattoos. Those with a contemporary tattoo were judged in the same manner as those who were not tattooed (even by observers who neither had a tattoo nor were considering getting one). These results suggest that the savage associations of tattooing continue for some, but suggest that for other tattoo enthusiasts, a new stereotype has emerged reflecting a shift toward respectability.

Motivation for Contemporary Tattoo Removal

To compare the results of a 1996 study of tattoo possession and motivation for tattoo removal with those of a 2006 study, in light of today's current strong mainstream tattoo procurement and societal support within the young adult population. Descriptive, exploratory study. Four dermatology clinics in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Texas. The 2006 study included 196 tattooed patients (66 men and 130 women). Incidence of purchase and possession risk, as measured by a 127-item survey and factor analysis. In contrast to the 1996 study, more women (69%) than men (31%) presented for tattoo removal in 2006. Women in the 2006 study were white, single, college educated, and between the ages of 24 and 39 years; they reported being risk takers, having stable family relationships, and moderate to strong religious beliefs (prayer and closeness to God). Commonly, tattoos were obtained at approximately 20 years of age, providing internal expectations of uniqueness and self-identity. Tattoo possession risks were significant, cited when the quest for uniqueness turned into stigmata (P < .001), negative comments (P < .003), and clothes problems (P < .004). In both the 1996 and the 2006 studies, a shift in identity occurred, and removal centered around dissociating from the past. However, in the 2006 study, more women than men were notably affected by possession risks. Societal support for women with tattoos may not be as strong as for men. Rather than having visible tattoos, women may still want to choose self-controlled body site placement, even in our contemporary society.

Makna Komunikasi Simbolik di Kalangan Pengguna Tato Kota Bandung

The aim of this research is to give result qualitative data through phenomenological approach and symbolic interaction about tattoos among its users. The focus of this research includes its development, motivation and the process of making tattoo, symbolic meaning and impression management were done in communication among tattoo users in Bandung. The research informant in this research was 24 tattoo permanent users with using purposive sampling. The data collecting used in this research were observation, depth interview and documentation/archive study. The result of this research showed that tattoo users could be categorized based on: Reasons, contact and immanent tattoo users; motive, past and future orientation tattoo users; design, classical, modern, and contemporary tattoo users; Tattoo placing, open and close tattoo users, and studio preferences, safe and risk tattoo users. In addition, tattoo artists could be categorized in; the period of profession, past and current tattoo artist; the tool in making tattoo, traditional and modern; the process of tattooing, safe and risk; skills, independent learner artist and special learning learner artist; the place of tattoo making, professional and street vendor artist.

Tatuagem e autonomia: reflexões sobre a juventude

Research carried through in two tat-too studios in the city of Rio de Janeiro pointed tothe predominance of customers between 20 to the29 years. About 60% of the public of one of thesestudios is formed by customers between 16 and 29years. As a background of the seduction that tat-toos exerts on youth, it seems to be a process of so-cial marking - on the body - of personal autonomy,that was nominated in the literature dedicated tothe study of the contemporary tattoos as self pos-session. It is a concept related to the emergency ofan individualization process, where tattoos can bepresented as a propitious sign of a personal (andsocial) proof of force and courage, or as a quiet re-bellion against instances of individual, specially thefamily.

Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing.

Originally published in 1989, this ground-breaking ethnographic exploration of tattooing and the art world surrounding it covers the history, anthropology, and sociology of body modification practices; the occupational experience of the tattooist; the process and social consequences of becoming a tattooed person; and the prospects of serious tattooing becoming an accepted art form. Curiously, despite the greater prevalence of tattoos and body modification in today's society, there is still a stigma of deviance associated with people who get or ink tattoos.Retaining the core of the original book, this revised and expanded edition offers a new preface by the author and a new chapter focusing on the changes that have occurred in the tattoo world. A section on the new scholarly literature that has emerged, as well as the new modes of body modification that have come into vogue, are included along with a new gallery of photographs that show some splendid examples of contemporary tattoo art. A directory of artists' websites invites readers to discover the range of work being done around the world from suits (full body tattoos) to skulls.Words: art body tattoo, art gallery of, art tattoos, body art tattoo, body art tattoos, body tattoos, directory of, gallery of art, gallery tattoo, ink tattoos, new gallery, original ink, tattoo body, tattoo body art, tattoos artAuthor: Sanders, Clinton Publisher: Temple University Press Illustration: N Language: ENG Title: Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing Pages: 00280 (Encrypted PDF) On Sale: 2008-03-28 SKU-13/ISBN: 9781592138876 Category: Art : General