#Softlads in partnership with The Word Association
The series aims to reimagine portraiture through craft, providing a contemporary twist. I have found these portraits through Instagram searching the hashtag #facialtattoos #bodytattoos.
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The portrait is of a person I have never met. Alex Hace is known on instagram as @alex_hace. He is a model who has over 59.3k followers. His images have given him a platform which has made him an online 'icon'.
They have formed a virtual subculture of followers who share a common interest of tattoo art online. I am interested in how this has created a sense of hero worship online.
This tapestry uses contemporary symbols to make connection to Scythian heritage and current forms of communication and expression - emojis. Images on the left side of the piece are referencing images found from a historic mummified tattoo sleeve. All the emojis in the right-hand side of the tapestry are from comments left by his followers.
This piece is titled after the model’s forehead tattoo- ‘Hardcore Vibes’. I find it interesting that Alex Hace has used English to tattoo his forehead although that is not his first language. He is asserting his own identity and a mantra of the type of life he intends to lead. He is someone who travels internationally and has an international following, he is able to communicate on an international level through visual means.
I like that the facial and body tattoos are an historic artistic practice and continue to be popular in our culture today. Body art allows a person to assert a person’s identity in a bold way. It’s something that they display as art all day wherever they are.
Pilgrim 2020 116cm x 126cm
Pilgrim aims to focus on journeys, how we each have a life filled with discovery. The basis of the title of the piece ‘Pilgrim’ came from Enzo’s tattoo sleeve of a ship. It made me think of how we are all vessels, containing our soul, on our own unique journey. Every person is on a voyage of their own discovery and making. @ecolinatrader or Enzo Colina Moro is based over in South America.
Enzo’s account is labelled a 'Personal Blog' containing his landmarks in life, recorded moments that he has experienced. He has proudly and publicly displayed his growth and progression.
He has included images of his training and interests, surrounding himself with a loving unit of family and friends. He has been open about his transition from female to male on his Instagram account.
The piece explores how internal and external factors change and shape our sense of self. These factors inform how we choose to exist and assert ourselves in the world.
A part of Pilgrim aims to explore the journey every person takes to understanding themselves in a wider social context. This series has been created from a male perspective and I am trying to articulate a range of issues which fundamentally shape how I perceive myself as a man and what I believe society expects from me as a man.
Xochipilli 2021 97cm x 147cm
This piece is called ‘Xochipilli’ based on the god of art, games, dance, flowers and song in Aztec mythology. His name contains the Nahuatl words xōchitl ("flower") and pilli (either "prince" or "child") and hence means "flower prince".
Xochipilli has also been interpreted as the patron of both homosexuals and male prostitutes.
The model referenced from the Instagram account @eariverosa embodied these traits. His account shows different aspects of his personality, his spirituality and interest in natural remedies, chemistry, fitness and generally having a good time. He is expressing different parts of himself, his values, and interests.
I see Instagram as a contemporary and democratic method of building a personality identity and actively promoting a curated version of the “self” to the wider society. Part of the piece is exploring contemporary ‘hero-worship’ exploring the aesthetic and values. Will he become a legendary figure like Xochipilli in future?
Artist/ Activist 2021 100cmx 90cm
The model Yves Mathieu East is looking into the future. He is a visionary and an artist as well as an activist. You can find him on Instagram @the_yvesdropper he will be advocating for justice against hate crimes.
He is out in the world promoting equality and education whilst sharing his personal experiences and promoting other campaigns. He models and produces music and is making the most of his life. This to me is sexy, he is using his gifts proactively in the world and leading it towards change.
The images surrounding him are all based on tattoos across his body. He has said-
‘There are people who have scrapbooks, people have yearbooks and I have my tattoos. You know if my house was ever on fire, I would be able to run like out hands free. Because every single thing that means something to me like the most, is tattooed on my body.’
Across Yves Mathieu East’s chest is the quote ‘Nothing lasts Forever’ they are a powerful reminder to be present and to live as well as you possibly can.
Through his Instagram account he shines a spotlight on various people’s life who have been prematurely taken away. Highlighting hate crimes and injustice whilst advocating for change. His body is a beautiful canvas full of flowers in full bloom and different animal skulls. The tattoos remind the viewer that life is beautiful and temporary. His face is looking towards rays of light, looking outwardly at the world.
Tattoos can be seen as aggressive, defiant, dominant and an armour over our skin. It can also display images which are beautiful, displaying emotionally significant stories which are sensitive and reveal the vulnerability of a person.
Adaptive Evolution 2021 100cm x 90cm
This piece is called Adaptive Evolution with the figure based on the Instagram account @bionicguy. In the tapestry the model is featured with his full body and the model is posed in various way as he does regularly post on Instagram presenting his progress from a training session. Some accounts including @bionicguy share content which is mostly of themselves repeatedly in slightly different poses. Usually, the image is full body or torso based, people usually flex or pose to show off how they have sculpted their body.
I became interested in @bionicguy’s account in part because of his body confidence, queerness and celebration of himself as an amputee. Some other hashtags in his posts include:
#gym #fitness #fitfam #amputee #gainz #prothesis
I like that he is so confident in himself and his appearance. Of the accounts I found that had a real focus on body image and fitness his was more interesting in that he celebrates his whole body.
When I looked back at older images, representations of men in tapestries tools and technology are always evident. Horse and cart, armor and weaponry, books, clothing, all representations of technology of its time. I decided that I wanted to develop the narrative of technology in the present day. I conveyed this through the inclusion of his mobile phone with it’s three camera lenses and the ‘Air Pods’. Items which he uses to help him with this training and to build his presence online. He owns relatively current technology, and his prosthetic leg is clearly current technology. These are more than symbols of tools and technology. These are also symbols of privilege and wealth. He is independent, self-driven and in total control of his body and place in the world.
I am interested in how temporary this technology is and how long he will own these items. We have a culture of throwing things out and progressing to the next ‘new thing’. How long will these three items last before they become obsolete? Where will technology progress and how will we use tools in future? This led me to consider humanity and our evolution in general.
The phrase ‘Adaptive Evolution’ comes from Charles Darwin’s studies in the Galapagos observing variations of finches during his Beagle voyage that sailed 27 December 1831 and returned 2 October 1836. These observations are known as Darin’s finches or the Galapagos finches. Darwin made fundamental observations of the birds and was able to demonstrate how processes of natural selection and adaptive radiation led to changes in the birds. (For example, beak types, body size, plumage, feeding behaviour and song types). The bird beaks were particularly notes for their changes and it was suggested this is to aid them in hunting and foraging for food.
I thought about the idea of survival and natural selection and the role of social media’s functionality and purpose. Using social media to assert where you ‘rank’ in terms of your physical attributes and displaying yourself as someone desirable and attractive to appeal to others to gain a partner.
Social media helps facilitate these needs and is a tool for communication in a digital environment. The measure of your like’s and following help add clout to an individual’s appeal and makes them appear instantly more desirable. This digital tool helps @bionicguy compete and assert his dominance as someone who is highly sought after. He has found a way to work with technology to help him adapt and excel in his environment. This makes me question how our bodies will physically adapt and change to complement our radically changing environments online and in real life.
Virahanka's Bouquet 2022
150cm length x 160cm in height
Leonardo Fibonacci is known for discovering
the Fibonacci sequence. However, this discovery could be better attributed to a
line of Indian mathematicians. The first to lay the groundwork was Pingla (c.
200 BC). Later, Virahanka (c. 700 AD) expanded upon this work and drafted the
Fibonacci sequence that we know today. The piece is called "Virahanka’s
Bouquet" to honour Virahanka, who is less well-known than Leonardo
Fibonacci, yet contributed significantly to what is known as the Fibonacci sequence
or the Golden Ratio. I am interested in how historic narratives are preserved
and celebrated, and how some narratives within history are more easily
recognised than others.
In my piece, I wanted to honour Virahanka’s
ideas and highlight the relationship between history and communication. I also
wanted to connect these ideas with the concept of blossoming or evolving. The
piece features two figures: one representing our current state and the other
representing what we are growing into.
This piece features Jake Alawson, a UK
Instagram influencer, who has a chest plate of tattoos inspired by floral
Mandala art. The second figure is a mirrored image of @jakealawson, depicting a
spiritual, aspirational version of the ‘self’. I am questioning who we are and
what we aspire to become as we evolve. I am asking what we will evolve into
next and how technology will shape this change.
I am intrigued by the idea of universal
language and communication, as well as the notion of ownership of language and
culture, which is part of what I am exploring in this piece. It amazes me how
many tattoo designs incorporate sacred geometry—a growing, repeating pattern
that exists in tattoos globally. This pattern is rooted in a sense of creation
and connects through time to our earliest civilisations. There is a universal
understanding of its value, which connects us all.
This piece explores our ever-changing
relationship with nature, technology, and time. We draw upon biomimicry to
enhance our technological advantages, showing how nature and technology are
becoming increasingly intertwined. I wanted the image to reflect our biological
evolution, connected to the spiral shape growing outwardly. I wanted to nod to
the relationship between nature and our visual communication.
In the piece, there is an emoji to highlight how our visual language still exists and is evolving with us. I have also included two hashtags, #apex and #Alpha, with a fire emoji, which could translate to terms like #Alphafire or #Alphahotty. These were added to connect the image to @jakealawson’s Instagram account. I am questioning the biological, evolutionary purpose of Instagram. Is it a form of tribal competition where we compete to achieve more likes and comments to demonstrate our value and attractiveness amongst our peers? I don’t believe Instagram serves a single purpose, but I do think there is an innate biological reaction to compete. The platform provides an evolutionary purpose to demonstrate our ‘personal assets’ to a global audience. Likes and comments are a form of social validation, showing this person is someone to admire and is considered valuable.
The model is enhancing his beauty with tattoos inspired by eastern tradition and adapted to appeal to a global audience connected by his mobile phone with a hive mind (his audience). The work questions identity and how we present ourselves. It explores ideas of evolution and power, highlighting how humans draw from nature to benefit themselves. This artwork questions the purpose this serves within our evolution and culture. It also questions who controls and influences narratives and how they are changed and recycled over time
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