Tattoos as Art

The art world is constantly evolving - and thus, the definition of art (or maybe just that of "contemporary art") continues to broaden. While tattoos were once considered taboo, or an act of rebellion against conformity, getting permanently inked with body art has turned into a pretty widespread occurrence (at least in the Western world).

Tattoos are now frequently accepted as a form of self-expression, but even more interesting are those who actually create the tattoos and ink them onto bodies. It seems that the growth of acceptance of tattoos has allowed tattooists to be viewed as artists and tattooing - like painting or sculpting - to inch its way to being considered a standard form of art.

More and more contemporary tattooists have fine-arts backgrounds - and many have developed their own unique artistic styles, with their tattoo parlors now resembling specialized art studios and galleries.

Accordingly, the market for tattoo-themed books has expanded over the past several years. One recently published book, Art by Tattooists: Beyond Flash by Jo Waterhouse, is unique among the category.

Tattooist Jo Waterhouse examines drawings and paintings by tattoo artists independent of the bodies they are permanently attached to. Thus, without the images of tattooed bodies, the viewer sees the tattoo as a true piece of art (and can subsequently judge it purely as art, rather than thinking of it as a tattoo).

To read more about Jo Waterhouse's book, click here.