Tattoo Exhibition

Taken between early 2000 and late 2003, this photographic series culminated in an exhibition held in December 2003 in Valais, Switzerland. It explores the role of tattooing in contemporary society.
A social, cultural, or religious emblem, the tattoo is above all a marker of identity. It allows the wearer — and those around them — to signal a sense of belonging, to assert a connection to a group or community. In recent years, a growing number of teenagers and young adults have begun tattooing symbols onto their bodies that bear little or no relation to their own cultural backgrounds.
Is this an act of rebellion ? A desire to belong ? A refusal of solitude ? Or a gesture rooted in humanist ideals ?
These foreign symbols raise questions: do they reflect a rejection of prevailing societal values ? A longing to embrace the beliefs of other cultures ? Or are they signs of a “globalization of symbolism” ? Are they chosen with full awareness — or are they simply part of a trend ?
Ask them…
Perhaps they will have an answer.