-Inked-
"A man without tattoos is invisible to the Gods."
The quote above comes from the 2002 documentary 'The Vanishing Tattoo' in which tattoo artist Thomas Lockart despairs over the state of modern tattooing. Lockart journeyed the globe to study the Japanese, American, and tribal tattoo masters, absorbing the expertise along the way.
Whether you agree with Lockart (that 'a hundred and forty nine bucks gets you a tattoo gun by mail order') it is clear that tattoos certainly turn the invisible, the skin, into something visible, often colorful that draws the gaze of others to it.
In each of these shots by Hans Fahrmeyer the tattoo becomes not just a part of the photo but instead Hans makes it the focus, with the model, a vehicle to display it.
Thanks again Hans for sharing your work with FH!
Hans Fahrmeyer Official Site:
Hans Fahrmeyer on FH:
"A genuine tattoo.... tells a story. I like stories and tattoos, no matter how well done, and if they don't tell a story that involves you emotionally, then they're just there for decoration, then they're not a valid tattoo. There has to be some emotional appeal or they're not, to my way of thinking, a real tattoo. It tells people what you are and what you believe in, so there's no mistakes."
~Leo, tattooist, 1993, quoted in Margo DeMello, Bodies of Inscription, 2000
