TO SEE AND BE SEEN
AN UNDERGROUND CONVERSATION ON MODERN TATTOOING
Design by @___p_e_s_t_e___ - Melbourne, Australia
TO SEE AND BE SEEN
I'm fascinated by the rise of disembodied eyes as a focal point in tattoo designs. Well, they're "disembodied" within the design, but maybe there’s a more fitting term when it's a tattoo — repurposed embodiment? What does it mean when we recreate the image of one body part onto another?
Fashion sometimes flirts with this concept, adding eyes to apparel or wearable jewelry. Schiaparelli comes to mind, both in outerwear and accessories. But to add additional eye(s) to yourself for the rest of your days is something so unique to the medium of tattoo.
The connotation of a floating eye will never be a monolith. Tibetan motifs often use them to summon internal wisdom. Greco-Roman classicism can highlight them to assert dominance over an enemy. Modern surrealist designs may position an eye to question authority, tradition, or even reality itself. (Dadaism will probably mean nothing when using them, which is also a political statement rejecting the value of objective meaning). In these ways, the art aesthetic itself can guide interpretation. But placement, scale and context around other tattoos on the body will alter that message, whether intended or not.
"Alert in the Storm" by @loreprod - Cattolica, Italy
Flash by @zibal.tattow - Berlin
Buddhist Eyes of Wisdom pattern by @muscadomestica - Ohio, USA
TO OBSERVE OUTWARD
When does an eye act as observer of the outside world? (And to that end, does using an eye to represent observation also imply that non-seeing people aren’t observant? Maybe that’s a thread for a different day...)
Placement matters. Which part of you is watching the world? Is it the top of your hand, in which case covering your eyes with your hands never changes your ability to see? Or maybe it’s on the back of your head, glaring at the people behind you in the grocery store. I’ve never seen a person tattoo eyes above their breasts, but I imagine it’s probably happened. In which case, is there a statement against sexual gaze, like “I’m staring back at you”? It could even be a joke, like “my eyes are up here.” Each placement has a unique opportunity to create a conversation about how people engage with your body, and how your body engages with the world.
Scale also matters. Maybe it takes up a tiny amount of space, as if to hide or even apologize for its presence. Maybe a giant backpiece stops you in your tracks, glaring back at you.
With more spiritual and cultural applications (e.g. the Turkish Evil Eye or Egyptian Eye of Horus), it may be intended to “watch over” you. In more personal applications, there are unique reasons you'd want more vision or protection, especially for that part of the body.
As with all tattoos, there could be zero meaning at all, which is also valid. But eyes can be a repository for meaning to other people in a way that different representational imagery might not.
Open Eye by @osmanergin_ - Istabul
Eye Candy flash by @doodling_blue - Berlin (Left); Four eyes by @martinmeir - Berlin (Right)
"Sharp Tears" by @hautmalertattoo - Turin, Italy
Nazar boncuğu (Evil Eye) by @inkkmaster - Bhopal, India (Left); Eye of Horus by @liv.tats - NYC (Right)
TO OBSERVE INWARD
Is the piece representing internal wisdom? In which case, it could be a response to feeling lost or disconnected, a concrete reminder to keep searching.
An eye can also voice emotions without words. A bored eye may roll with apathy or distrust; a crying eye can signal intense pain or joy; a focused eye may scrutinize with suspicion or curiosity. Our internal worlds can rise to the surface with very little ambiguity.
I chatted recently with @jamie.luna, who often uses eyes in his work. (He will also be a guest author on an upcoming issue. If you’re a tattooer who wants to reach thousands of nerdy tattoo fans, email me if you want to write an op-ed.)
“For me, eyes are portals to other dimensions or universes, like black holes,” Luna shared. “You look into one eye, you fall through. In others, you emerge, as in an acid trip. … You look at them, they look at you. You are them, they are you.”
"OKO" by @jamie.luna - Ukraine
Weeping by @yan2_ta2 - Seoul Korea (Left) ; Half sleeve by @littleandytattoo - Birmingham UK (Right)
"Lover's Eye" by @tattoosbyarchie - Seattle USA (Left); "I want to see myself through your eyes" by @bogdan_ink - Ilhèus, Brasil (Right)
Head piece by @gino_sorgente - Milan
That's a wrap for ISSUE 014. This mailer is an unpaid and unsponsored labor of love, as it's always been. I welcome your feedback, corrections and contributions. If you'd like to buy me a coffee, my paypal is tattrx@gmail.com and venmo is @chillpolyamory .
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With love,
Morgan
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