Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo

19 Introduction
were typically seen as being drawn from marginal. rootless. and
dangerously unconventional social groups. The tattoo was a symbolic
poke-in-the-eye directed at those who were law-abiding.
hard-working. family-oriented. and stable.
Since the mid-1960s. however. tattooing has undergone what
some (for example. Hill. 1972; Tucker. 1981; Rubin. 1983) have
called a "renaissance." Although a commercially-oriented craft
structure continues to dominate contemporary tattooing and the
general public continues to define it as a deviant activity. significant
changes have been occurring during the last two decades.
Younger tattooists. frequently with university or art school backgrounds
and experience in traditional artistic media. have begun
to explore tattooing as a form of expression. For many. this exploration
has been motivated by dissatisfaction with the substance of
conventional fine art forms and the career limitations presented
by the insular socio-occupational world of artistic production. Unlike
the traditional tattooist. the younger artists emphasize creative
over economic values. speCialize in custom designedcommonly
large-scale-tattoos and are selective about the images
they create and the clients withlon whom they will work. Congruent
with their background and aesthetic orientations. the new
tattoo artists draw images from diverse artistic sources. Fantasy/
science fiction illustration. traditional Japanese styles. tribal designs.
portraiture. and abstract expressionism are major influences
on contemporary. fine art tattooing (see Tucker. 1981;
Rubin. 1983; Wroblewski. 1981). The new tattooists are also involved
in technical innovation. experimenting with an expanded
color spectrum. moving away from the traditional hard-edged
black outline and employing single-needle techniques which produce
highly detailed and fragile images.
As tattoo practitioners who define themselves as "artists" and
present their products as "art" have become more prominent. the
larger art world has begun to take notice of the medium. Tattooing
is increasingly legitimated as the work is shown in museums
and gallery shows and subjected to critical discussion byacademics
and critics/agents of the traditional art world. The tattooists.
as a consequence. profit as their work comes to look like art. is
displayed like art, is discussed like art, and is bought and sold as