Exploding Tattoos

“Exploded Tattoo” is a collaboration between painter Anna Stump and (in this case) photographer Ted Meyer. The partners choose models with striking, single-image tattoos. In response to the body-art, they then design a 9′ x 8′ painting to surround the subject, photographing the process at each stage of creation. The work exists as a performance between painter, photographer, and model.
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Through this series, the artists explore the Southern California fixation on the body, fascinated by how tattoo decoration appropriates pop imagery from other cultures and religions. In “Exploded Tattoo” the body interacts with the patterns of itself, in an Escher-esque manner. The image of an image of an image is a primary Postmodern expression.

​Exploding Tattoos in San Diego Union •  Exploding Tattoos in the Oceanside Patch • Exploding tattoos on Which Way LA/KCRW

Watch the video

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