Tattoo Temple (Part 1)

Occasionally there are times where just one ModBlog post isn’t enough to share something remarkable.  This is the first of two posts today that will be showing off the works from Joey Pang, and the rest of the artists at Tattoo Temple in Hong Kong.

Recently Joey uploaded a number of works to various galleries on BMEzine.com, and pretty much all of them are beautiful in their own way.  Since 2006 Joey has owned and operated Tattoo Temple in Hong Kong, and has been putting out some fantastic work.  This first post will be focusing on her color and black/grey work.

In a blog from two years ago, Joey had this to say about her philosophy when it comes to tattooing.

To me, tattoos are ‘new clothing’ for a naked body.  Tattoos are not there to just cover your dull skin tone or trim your body’s contours with visual tricks. They can also express your personality, your thoughts and the world inside you. It is a presentation of the practical realm as well as the abstract mind.  As the designer and tailor of this new ‘piece of clothing’ I have to thoroughly understand my models – so they are able to express themselves with the creation of perfectly fitting ‘new clothes’.  Only the model and I truly understand these ‘new clothes’ as they are highly personal creations. However, if this ‘outfit’ can evoke emotion and admiration in other viewers – this in itself serves a higher purpose. Then these ‘new clothes’ may be categorized as a work of art. My happiest moment is being able to share this with the world.

Art facilitates the movement of abstract concepts in to reality. In most cases, the medium for art is simply inorganic matter. Only tattoos are exhibited on a living body – a permanent display to the world.  Every medium allows for art to be portrayed in a unique way. Yet, the human body is perhaps the single most distinctive medium of all. This art can only be carried when someone is ready to go through pain and have their blood shed.  The physical body underneath the tattooed skin continues with its daily functions – its mandatory life cycle. The person then carries this art-skin out and into the wider world. This person is a living, moving exhibition. The art-skin makes its way across the world, from country to country.  This breathtaking interaction between ink and the dynamic human body gives life to this art. The art piece changes, grows, ages, dies and is eventually buried with the body.  For someone who genuinely appreciates the power of this art, in death, the tattoo should not remain a subject of the mortal body.  To separate this tattooed skin from the body allows the tattoo to then be seen in its original form – as a Work of Art – a collectible that could be held for auction.

Keep on reading if you’d like to see more works by Joey, which include some color and freehand work, as well as a large greyscale backpiece.

In the case of the last image, it was done entirely freehand, and extends across the woman’s back.

Normally I would direct you to a specific gallery, but with Tattoo Temple uploading so many images over the past few days, your best bet would just be to take a look at the newest additions to all of the tattoo galleries, as their work isn’t limited to just one category.