Tattoos of Asia

Humans have been marking their bodies almost as far back as civilisation itself. Long before the modern cultural taboo of inking patterns onto our skin, many of the world’s peoples made artwork on their body for reasons including identifcation, coming of age, decoration, or great deeds. As our worlds get closer together and our cultures influence each other more, much of what makes us unique, including tattooing practices, is coming to an end.

The Tattoos of Asia Project focuses on documenting the last tribal facial-tattoo cultures on the Asian continent. Rather than a larger anthropological approach, this project focuses on personal stories and individuals’ knowledge of their own histories. By living with these tribes for weeks at a time, Dylan has been able to get closer to the people, learn how they live, and record their stories for future generations. So far, we have spoken to over 200 members of the various tribes.

The project is split up into four main parts: portraits, stories, tattoo culture, and history. The final output of this project will be a book and exhibition of the peoples documented. The aim is to have this ready for a 2020 release. Please get in touch if you would like to be a part of this project in some way.