BATTLESKIN
STORIES IN INK
ARTIST STATEMENT FOR VETERAN TATTOO PROJECT 'BATTLESKIN'
Years of media immersion placed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan squarely in our sights. With the troop draw down beginning in 2010, media attention turned to the returning veterans and the lasting emotional, psychological and social impact of war. As an artist, I was moved me to express my thoughts and feelings about the past decade of conflict through my art.
Living in Israel for seventeen years accustomed me to an integrated military/civilian population – no divides. The constant threat of war and the ever-present reminders of the individual sacrifices for the greater good are enmeshed in the fabric of Israeli society. The United States does not have mandatory military service, creating a divide between those who serve and those who do not. The gap between these two sectors of society is widened by a lack of understanding and communication.
I was keen to learn about the young men and women who sign up to voluntarily join the United States military in order to serve their country. Who were they? What motivated them? Once I began meeting with, and interviewing veterans, I discovered that their tattoos provided insight into their journeys, their personal experiences and their beliefs. ‘Tats’ have become such a ubiquitous form of self-expression in society as a whole that they are the perfect vehicle for bridging the gap between military and civilian populations. I felt compelled to share their stories and portray these young men and women as the diverse individuals they are, deserving of our respect and recognition for their personal sacrifice, irrespective of our political views.
My artistic interpretation took the form of transforming the veterans' tattoos into three dimensional clay objects. Like a tattoo on human skin, the surface decoration which is fired onto the clay body becomes permanently sealed into the clay body, fusing chemically and physically with the clay molecules.
SEE SOME OF THE FINISHED WORKS BELOW, TO BE EXHIBITED WITH EXCERPTS FROM VETERAN INTERVIEWS
Years of media immersion placed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan squarely in our sights. With the troop draw down beginning in 2010, media attention turned to the returning veterans and the lasting emotional, psychological and social impact of war. As an artist, I was moved me to express my thoughts and feelings about the past decade of conflict through my art.
Living in Israel for seventeen years accustomed me to an integrated military/civilian population – no divides. The constant threat of war and the ever-present reminders of the individual sacrifices for the greater good are enmeshed in the fabric of Israeli society. The United States does not have mandatory military service, creating a divide between those who serve and those who do not. The gap between these two sectors of society is widened by a lack of understanding and communication.
I was keen to learn about the young men and women who sign up to voluntarily join the United States military in order to serve their country. Who were they? What motivated them? Once I began meeting with, and interviewing veterans, I discovered that their tattoos provided insight into their journeys, their personal experiences and their beliefs. ‘Tats’ have become such a ubiquitous form of self-expression in society as a whole that they are the perfect vehicle for bridging the gap between military and civilian populations. I felt compelled to share their stories and portray these young men and women as the diverse individuals they are, deserving of our respect and recognition for their personal sacrifice, irrespective of our political views.
My artistic interpretation took the form of transforming the veterans' tattoos into three dimensional clay objects. Like a tattoo on human skin, the surface decoration which is fired onto the clay body becomes permanently sealed into the clay body, fusing chemically and physically with the clay molecules.
SEE SOME OF THE FINISHED WORKS BELOW, TO BE EXHIBITED WITH EXCERPTS FROM VETERAN INTERVIEWS
