The SERPENTS of BIENVILLE
Skin Deep|Issue 311
SEAN HERMAN’S TRANSFORMATIVE TATTOO
The SERPENTS of  BIENVILLE

Every time I walk into a grocery store, restaurant, or most any public space it is inevitable that I will hear the same thing many of those whom are heavily tattooed hear, that ringing phrase “Why did you get that? It’s scary looking!” For myself, it typically revolves around images that are horror based that I have tattooed on my neck and various other visible parts of my body. I received these tattoos when I was young, due to my fascination with horror, but it does beg the question, why do we get horror imagery tattooed, and why is it so popular? To answer that question, we will have to walk through the streets of a crowded Paris, France

Look up when walking through most old European cities and you will see them looking down at you, perched on cathedrals, gargoyles. A gargoyle is a grotesque that also acts as drain-spout. In art history, a grotesque is any quixotic figure reminiscent of those found painted on the walls of underground chambers in Ancient Rome.

During the Gothic period, however, the term grotesque was used specifically to describe the peculiar sculptures found on churches, cathedrals, and other Catholic institutions. Gargoyles have become one of the most distinctive features of Gothic architecture.

Likely erected as a defence against demons, the stone statues are rooted in religion and steeped in superstition. The idea that a monstrous creature on the outside of a cathedral could ward of evil is an interesting, yet odd idea. As a tattooist, my brain automatically imagines this idea with ink to skin. Years ago I came across an interview with Paul Booth in which he was explaining why some of his clients wore the imagery he created that was viewed as “evil”. His explanation was that some wore it to ward off the energy they viewed as evil. This idea is actually steeped deep in tattooing traditions, as far back as humanity itself.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 311-Ausgabe von Skin Deep.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 311-Ausgabe von Skin Deep.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS SKIN DEEPAlle anzeigen
Ask Here Part Two
Skin Deep

Ask Here Part Two

With the release of Tattooing Ask Here—a collection of original and traditional flash, interview, stories and photographs detailing the tattoo history of Felix Leu—we took the spectacularly well-timed opportunity to speak to Loretta Leu about the book and her life with Felix. The following concludes our time well spent…

time-read
9 Minuten  |
Issue 311
The SERPENTS of  BIENVILLE
Skin Deep

The SERPENTS of BIENVILLE

SEAN HERMAN’S TRANSFORMATIVE TATTOO

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Issue 311
SAVED BY INK
Skin Deep

SAVED BY INK

Carlos ‘Loz’ Oliveros has never had any shortage of passion or drive. Inspired by his father, a pro fighter and DIY tattooer, Oliveros started boxing when he was just six years old, then picked up tattooing at 16. All the while surrounded by the realities of Miami’s Mexican gang culture. Saved by tattooing, Oliveros chose to follow a different path than most of his peers. A path he’s now sharing on a VH1 docu-series called Cartel Crew

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Issue 311
THE PRODUCER
Skin Deep

THE PRODUCER

It’s no surprise at all to run into a guy like Russ Russell. Pretty much every tattoo artist I talk with cites music as a massive influence on their work and lives in general. But while, for most of them, music is a passion—an inspiration, even, for their day job at the tattoo shop—for Russ it’s almost the other way around. Music is his day job, Russ having worked as both a producer and musician for many years, with tattooing coming later on down the line

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Issue 311
Why Is That First Tattoo Encounter So Terrifying?
Skin Deep

Why Is That First Tattoo Encounter So Terrifying?

There is something about getting that very first tattoo that will always make you feel a little bit sick when you walk through the door

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Issue 310
The Serpents Of  Bienville - Sean Herman's Transformative Tattoo
Skin Deep

The Serpents Of Bienville - Sean Herman's Transformative Tattoo

“There is probably nothing more menacing or dangerous than an individual who is devoid of compassion or empathy. When this individual is permitted by community apathy and bias to successfully cloak himself in the attire of one who claims allegiance to his or her Creator, it becomes the moral imperative of those who lay witness to the peril to step up before it is too late. Until such a time when domestic violence and sexual assault are eradicated for good, the perpetrators of these deplorable acts will continue to cause unspeakable harm as Evil’s welcomed ambassadors and Tyranny’s strongest ally.”

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Issue 310
Skin Deep

The Eternal River

Through impact-laden encounters between ornamental and figural imagery, tattooist Aron Dubois has developed a self-sourced visual language that openly explores symbology, spirituality and surrealism in an effort to “drink from the eternal river” and return to what the Colorado-native defines as “the source”. Drawing much of his inspiration from esoteric literature, mythic archetypes and the natural world, Dubois has spent his decadelong relationship with the craft “digging for the grail of tattooing”. Here, Dubois demystifies his “optimistic escape attempt” from the addictive dangers of digital tools, and the answers he finds in nature when allowing the walls that stand between himself and the world to dissolve

time-read
9 Minuten  |
Issue 310
Skin Deep

Palm Reader

For centuries we have looked to our palms as a valuable source of information, a complex blueprint of one’s identity, both physical and spiritual. The latter has seen the palm as a bodily map for instigating premonitions, with its many criss-crossing lines foretelling either a joyful life or a foredooming resolution

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
Issue 310
Japanese Whispers
Skin Deep

Japanese Whispers

He is one of the most gifted Japanese tattooers of his generation. From the region of Niigata in the North-East of Japan, he's spreading the beauty of Japanese tattoo culture. All tattoo lovers praise his complex and very detailed compositions which adorn the bodies of some very lucky collectors, but after 20 years, Tomo is ready to move on…

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Issue 310
Rule Breaker
Skin Deep

Rule Breaker

Esther Garcia plays by her own rules — she always has and always will. Even with two decades of experience, the Chicago-based artist still finds ways to push herself and innovate. Whether it’s juxtaposing two unexpected styles (she fuses blackout work with botanical imagery inspired by Dutch Masters beautifully) or offering a unique tattoo curation service in which she doesn’t actually tattoo, Garcia isn’t afraid to take risks. What else is up her sleeve? We tracked her down to find out.

time-read
7 Minuten  |
Issue 310