5 minute read
Tattoos: One Of The Oldest Forms of Art
Alternative Art
by Yusuf Taşkiran
Advertisement
Tattoos are considered one of the oldest forms of art.The beginning of tattoo art, which is sometimes a fashion and sometimes a means of self expression, is almost as old as the history of humanity.
Tattoos in history
There are many more stories from the past, many things to be told about tattoo art. Different cultures, with different reasons and stories, have carried and kept the tradition of tattooing until today. In ancient civilizations, tattoo designs sometimes represented status symbols, sometimes religious beliefs, or even forms of punishment. Some civilizations even thought that the tattoo had a protective role against diseases and evils. For example, in the past, noble and heroic people had tattoos among the Hun Turks. In Ancient Greeks, tattoos were made to show criminals and slaves. In Ancient Egypt, tattoos included motifs consisting of symbolic images of gods. In New Zealand, the Maori tribe applied facial tattoos called “moko” to their faces. Moko was defined as a symbol of beauty for women and a symbol of war for men. It was considered disrespectful to have this tattoo done by non-Maori people. In the Hawaiian Islands, they believed that tattoos protected people from evil spirits.
Nowadays
The tattoo industry and culture has evolved over the years. In recent years, tattoo culture has been developed by many artists and turned into modern fine arts. With the increasing popularity of tattoo culture, many people get tattoos on different parts of their body for different reasons. However, there are still prohibitions against tattoo art in some countries. For example, in Japan, if you have a tattoo on your body, entrance in some places is forbidden because getting a tattoo in Japan is associated with a criminal organization called the Yakuza. In Denmark, tattooing on the hands and face is considered a crime. Before getting a tattoo in the country of prohibition, North Korea, you must get government approval. In Thailand, a Buddhist country, it is prohibited to have a Buddha tattoo on your body.
My skin is my canva
The shape of each tattoo, the message it wants to give and the meaning it represents are very different. Tattoos represent thoughts and feelings that we sometimes don’t talk about. These designs that people embroider on their bodies can sometimes be simple and sometimes detailed. Each tattoo has a meaning that is important to the person who has the tattoo. We asked some of our Balkan Hotspot volunteers what their tattoos mean to them, and we got interesting answers:
Laura
It’s a water lily, the flower that grows in the mud. The photo in black and white doesn’t show you the tattoo’s color: it’s half coloured in pink, and the other part of the flower is in black and white; on the basis, there is the blue of the lake drawn as a watercolor. I chose the water lily as a tattoo because it represents the best way to live life: even if it could be a lot of trouble, they help us improve and grow. I choose to design my tattoo middle coloured and middle in black and white because problems never end, and there will be ever something to face, but not be discouraged; on the contrary, be grateful for life because we will be better for sure.
Yusuf
Sisyphus…The man who deceived the gods in Greek mythology. In other words, he was the first man punished by the gods. The gods had punished him by raising a boulder to the top of a mountain. He was punished with pain and failure, as the boulder he had so selflessly had rolled back onto the mountainside each time. Sisyphus, who came down from the hill to roll the rock again, is actually a rebellion against despair. This is sometimes the case with our resistance to the challenges in our daily lives.
Tifenn
The story of my tattoo is actually not so great: I was at a party with a tattoo artist guy, and I wanted to know if getting a tattoo was painful so he suggested that I try. As I didn’t have an idea for the drawing I just told him that the whole thing was super chaotic and we decided to tattoo “chaos”.
Lena
To me, a tattoo is a way to express yourself, either it is just aesthetic or with a meaning. My tattoos are linked with some moments of my life : they are my emotions, they are part of me !
Giovanni
At some point I decided to have a tattoo for every life changing experience I would go through, bad and good. This is my second one: I was volunteering in Turkey with an organization that was trying to save turtles. The project was interesting but what made this period something I will never forget was the people. And that’s why I did this tattoo (representing the first two baby turtles I personally saved), with some of the other volunteers, volunteers that I am happy to call friends now.
