By Lily Marylander
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| The Illustrated Man (1969) |
In today’s day and age, I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t have a tattoo. They are symbols of creativity, self-expression, commitment to one’s identity, and strength, and now of course, there is a certain “cool” factor. They have come a long way from being ceremonial for ancient societies to sailors marking their life at sea, to symbolizing gang involvement, to declaring a person punk and alternative, and finally today to being mostly ornamental and even achieving the status of fine art with gallery and museum shows. In 1969 The Illustrated Man came out in theaters and Rod Steiger was covered head to toe with a full bodysuit of tattoos. The public was shocked and intrigued and the film and imagery were marked as sci-fi, horror, and about as far from normal as you could get. Today you can see people with full bodysuits buying heirloom tomatoes at Safeway. Why have tattoos been so historically controversial? When did they make the shift into the popular public sphere? And why is it now considered normal and extremely accessible for anyone to sport a small infinity sign on the wrist to a full bodysuit? These questions and their answers intrigue me, so let us sink the needle in and start sketching out a plausible history.
The modern term “tattoo” actually originates back to the Samoan word “tatau” which means “to strike” or “to mark." Polynesian groups such as the Maori (from New Zealand) and the Samoans (from the Samoan Islands) used tattoos to mark social status, rites of passage, and spiritual beliefs. They weren’t the first though...Ötzi the Iceman, a mummified body found in the Alps dating back to 33000 BCE has 61 tattoos, mostly simple lines and crosses.
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| Otzi The Iceman and his tattoo closeups |
Ancient Egyptian mummies (mainly women) had tattoos for religious or fertility rites. Evidence also suggests tattooing was practiced in ancient China as early as 2000 BCE and by the Ainu people in Japan, with tattoos representing identity or rank. Ancient Romans and Greeks used tattoos as slave markers while Native Americans used tattoos for various medicinal practices.
Across the globe, humans have been marking their skin permanently for centuries, each culture attaching unique symbolism, meanings, and significance to tattooing. What’s intriguing is that tattoos have never been entirely "in" or "out" of favor; shifts in status depend on cultural context and period. In some societies, tattoos have been celebrated as positive expressions of identity and tradition, while in others they’ve been seen as shameful or rebellious. How is it that tattooing—an art form practiced by so many different groups—can carry such a wide range of meanings? Depending on who you ask and when, tattoos might be viewed as taboo, beautiful, unattractive, an act of self-harm, or a form of aesthetic expression. Today, there’s a strong argument that tattoos should be considered a serious art form and have already become the ultimate permanent fashion statement.
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| The most famous RE/Search issue |
RE/Search Magazine was an influential counterculture publication founded by V. Vale in San Francisco in 1980. Initially a punk zine, it evolved into a platform for exploring fringe and underground topics such as punk rock, industrial culture, body modification, and experimental art. RE/Search Magazine played a key role in popularizing tattoos and other forms of body modification in America, particularly through its 1989 issue Modern Primitives. The book showcased extremely provocative interviews, photography, and commentary about individuals who embraced body modifications such as tattoos, piercings, scarification, and branding. It highlighted these practices as both personal and artistic expressions while connecting them to ancient and tribal traditions around the world. Modern Primitives portrayed tattooing not just as a rebellious or outsider act, but as a form of self-expression, art, and connection to one's deeper, often spiritual, identity.
This association with personal, creative, and even spiritual motivations helped tattoos shift away from their stigmatized roots as something associated with marginalized groups (like sailors, bikers, or criminals) and enter mainstream acceptance. It inspired curiosity and acceptance around tattooing and other body modifications, especially among youth, artists, and alternative cultural movements in the 1990s and beyond.
Tattooing is basically anti repressive. I think people’s main subconscious motivation is to clarify something about themselves to themselves, and only incidentally (although it depends on the individual, some humans are peacocks) to show to other people. It's mainly to prove or clarify something they feel about themselves, and nurture that: “Okay, well I am this”--it’s kind of an empowerment on a personal level.-Don Ed Hardy interviewed by A. Juno & V. Vale
Hardy’s take on tattooing as “anti-repressive” taps into some interesting philosophical values. Seen through an existentialist lens, tattoos become a way for people to claim their free will and define who they are. From a psychoanalytic angle, tattoos can help people explore and understand their subconscious, becoming part of their journey toward self-discovery. In a postmodern view, tattoos push back against society’s norms, letting people express their identity in a way that’s unique and not tied to fixed roles or commercialized images. From a phenomenological perspective, getting a tattoo intensifies the connection with one’s body, turning it into a canvas that reflects personal meaning and lived experiences. Hardy’s point underscores tattooing as a meaningful act of self-expression and growth, primarily done for oneself rather than for anyone else’s approval.
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| Don Ed Hardy in front of his San Diego tattoo parlor, 1971-73 |
The history of tattooing in Western culture is full of contradictions. For a long time, indigenous tattoo practices were stigmatized or even criminalized by colonial powers and missionaries, who viewed them as “primitive” or “savage.”
The whole Judeo-Christian belief system imposes an absolutely negative connotation on tattooing. It's a basic human tendency to want to decorate one's body; it's something people have always done. Yet this society doesn't provide any place for it, and the cultures that did have indigenous tattooing were pretty successfully wiped out by the Christian missionary intrusion covering the world with White Western Culture.-Don Ed Hardy interviewed by A. Juno & V. Vale
Here, Hardy highlights that tattooing isn’t naturally rebellious or “bad.” Instead, it’s a timeless art form that certain religious and cultural beliefs have historically pushed aside. He focuses on how colonialism and missionary work interfered with Indigenous cultures and forced a single Western idea of how people should treat their bodies, highlighting an impossible ideal of purity.
Yet, despite this, Western societies eventually began to adopt and commercialize the same tattoo styles and symbols they once condemned, often without acknowledging or respecting the deep cultural meanings behind them. Polynesian-inspired “tribal” tattoos became a massive trend in the 1990s and early 2000s but were often reduced to simplified black patterns stripped of their cultural context. These designs were popularized as aesthetic symbols without acknowledging their significance to Polynesian society. This appropriation not only disrespected the original meanings, but also commodified and distorted indigenous art for Western tastes.
Similarly, Japanese tattooing, which has its own rich history and complex cultural symbolism, was stigmatized within Japan itself due to associations with the criminal underworld. Westerners who admired the art disregarded this stigma, picking and choosing Japanese motifs like koi fish or dragons as exotic designs. American tattooists blended these elements into the Western tattoo canon without fully understanding or honoring the cultural weight they carried. Although some artists, like Ed Hardy, studied Japanese techniques and worked with Japanese tattoo masters, many others simply borrowed the look without delving into the history.
This selective adoption of indigenous tattoo styles exposes a double standard. The societies that once deemed these practices unfit or immoral later celebrated them as fashionable when diluted of their cultural context. In many ways, this reflects the broader pattern of cultural appropriation: taking elements from marginalized cultures without respecting or recognizing their origins and, in the process, trivializing their importance. Rather than treating indigenous tattoo styles as mere fashion statements, tattoo artists and enthusiasts should educate themselves and honor the traditions that inspired them. This can help address some of the historical imbalances and show true appreciation, rather than appropriation, of these art forms.
Now tattooing in all different styles is more popular than ever. We see the rise of the “scratcher” as representing a significant moment in just how accessible tattooing and tattoos have become. A “scratcher” is a term used in the tattoo world for an amateur or untrained tattoo artist who often works out of their home or private studio, instead of a licensed tattoo shop. Scratchers are usually self-taught and don’t have formal training. Skills and resources that were once gatekept by shop artists are now widely available via the internet on YouTube, Wiki How, etc. And one can easily purchase cheap supplies on Amazon and Temu. The increase in “scratcher” artists can be attributed to the 2020 Covid pandemic when people had a lot of downtime to try out and develop new skills. There is also a large appeal to being self-employed and working from home or your studio vs. being under the boot of a shop owner who takes 40% or more of your profits.
However, this accessibility comes with risks. Scratchers often don’t have proper sterilization equipment or training in safe tattooing practices, which raises the risk of infections, poor-quality tattoos, and other complications. This is the problem with the dingier tattoo shops as well. It is always the client’s responsibility to do their research and look at reviews and portfolios before getting tattooed. “Scratchers” have become an important part of the tattooing scene today and have made the art of tattooing more accessible for everyone to appreciate. I’m for it, but my reservations above should be duly noted.
Today tattoos are even beginning to be considered as a fine art form and are showcased in galleries and museums around the world.
I fled the cloying environment of the fine arts to do tattooing, but I should have seen this coming: by giving tattooing its legitimization and status as a fine art, suddenly you’re getting into the same old crap!-Don Ed Hardy
Here, Hardy expresses his frustration with elevating tattooing to the status of fine art. He complains that the very qualities he rejected such as elitism, competition, and bureaucracy, threaten to resurface and possibly lead to undermining tattoo culture’s raw and subversive spirit. His reflection underscores a broader tension between artistic freedom and the desire for recognition, revealing the paradox of legitimizing alternative art forms.
There is an increasing appreciation of the skill and artistry involved in tattooing. Talented tattoo artists master complex techniques, design principles, color theory, and anatomical considerations to create works that rival other traditional art forms. Contemporary tattoos incorporate elements of realism, surrealism, abstraction, and even traditional fine art influences like Japanese woodblock prints or Art Nouveau. As tattoo artists experiment with performance art, intricate designs, and vivid colors, the boundaries between "low" and "high" art are dissolving. As Hardy points out, even though we might want or promote many of these positives, there is the worry that the grit of tattoos will be diminished by the mechanisms of the fine art world.
Another shift has been a societal one that now praises individuality, inclusivity, body positivity, and the acceptance of alternative forms of self-expression. Where tattoos were once stigmatized, they are now embraced as powerful symbols of identity and belonging, embodying personal narratives, cultural traditions, and creative innovation. We’re at an intersection of competing interests in who is going to own or get the last word on tattooing. Is it the museums; it is the diy scratchers; the self-proclaimed professionals; the high artists, or the indigenous traditions? It's one big question mark.
EPILOGUE IN FINE ART
In 2019 the San Francisco Asian Art Museum had an exhibit featuring Japanese woodblock prints that were the inspiration for the Japanese style of tattooing.
Tattoos in Japanese Prints recounts how large-scale, densely composed pictorial tattoos — what we now recognize as a distinctly Japanese style — emerged in 19th-century Japan in tandem with woodblock prints depicting tattooed heroes of history and myth.More than 60 superb prints by artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) and his contemporaries from the noted collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, explore the interplay between ink on paper and ink on skin. Kuniyoshi’s influential print series One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (1827–1830), illustrating hero-bandits from a 14th-century Chinese martial arts novel, probably both inspired and reflected a real-life tattoo trend — art into life and life into art. -SF Asian Art Museum
Also in 2019, the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum had an exhibition featuring “Lew the Jew” (Albert Kurzman, 1880–1954) who was one of the most influential artists tattooing in NYC’s Bowery at the beginning of the twentieth century. The CJM exhibit features Kurzman’s tattoo drawings, along with the work of Wagner and other contemporaries, including that of “Brooklyn Joe” Lieber, a San Francisco-based Jewish tattoo artist. A portion of the exhibit included a room set up to resemble a traditional tattoo parlor and included wallpaper designs credited to Kurzman. The exhibit does not shy away from the mainstream Jewish community’s discomfort with tattooing, which stems from Leviticus 19:28: “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.”
Nevertheless, the reality is that getting tattooed is a common practice among Jews today. Hanging over any discussion about Jews and tattoo is the memory of how, in Nazi death camps, numbered tattoos were applied to prisoners’ forearms during the Holocaust. Even that tragic use of tattoo has a contemporary twist: some descendants of survivors have had their relatives’ numbers marked on their own wrists as gestures of trans-generational solidarity. -Renny Pritikin, chief curator of the Contemporary Jewish Museum
Most recently in 2024, The Washington Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland had an exhibition called Art, Fashion, Symbol, Statement: Tattooing in America, 1960s to Today.
Tattoos are very personal—they are permanent alterations to the individual’s body, and that decision, and the resulting artwork, is worthy of closer examination,” said museum Executive Director Sarah Hall. “The idea for this exhibition was generated from the museum’s exhibition and education staff —who I admit are all younger than I am —and I challenged them to make an exhibition that elevated the voices of regional artists involved in tattooing, while also providing art-historical context, history, and depth.Some of these works are paired with examples from the museum’s collection to illuminate significant stylistic parallels and influences. In addition, a selection of tools and equipment allows us to understand how tattoos are made and the important role that technology has played in their development. -WCMFA.org
Today, the tattoo is recognized not just as an impulsive act of self-expression, but as a meaningful contribution to the world of art itself. Tattooing has transformed dramatically over the centuries, evolving from ancient ceremonial practices to a widely accepted form of self-expression and artistic innovation. Once stigmatized and confined to the fringes of society, tattoos are now celebrated globally for their aesthetic, personal, and cultural significance. Today, tattoos can be seen adorning the walls of prestigious galleries and museums. They are recognized as fine art that reflects a deep connection to personal identity and historical tradition. They are also more accessible than ever and 2023 statistics show that 32% of US adults have a tattoo, with 22% having more than one. This shift highlights how tattoos have become more than just marks on the skin; they are now accepted symbols of empowerment, individuality, and creativity, weaving their way into the broader tapestry of contemporary art and culture. The tattoo is now, unmistakably, a respected and permanent part of our society.
©Lily Marylander and the CCA Arts Review
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