Tattoo artists and fans getting tattoos of tattoo machines is certainly not an uncommon theme, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see the same thing manifesting in the world of scarification now that it’s growing up as a semi-mainstream artform. Here’s a few pictures of UREA in Brasil (a scarification artist himself) doing a large cutting of a #11 scalpel blade on his forearm.

There’s a rough patch right now, so I really hope that this isn’t the only entry I’ll write about this amazing scarification bodysuit, but I’d like to mention the incredible pieces that Whitespace has by Lukas Zpira and Dave Gillstrap, two of the best scarification artists around. Here’s some information about it in his own words:

The backpiece was cut by Lukas Zpira, and was my first foray into body modification. It was done over the course of 4 1/2 hours in NYC, and, since I felt it all, was the most excruciatingly torturous event of my life. The image is of White Tara, the (Tibetan) Buddhist deity of compassion, longevity, and protection. Tibetans carry images of White Tara during long, arduous hikes to distant holy places; a form of spiritual cleansing. She is said to protect Tibetans on these long walks, and, since I am journeying 7,000 miles on foot, from New York to California in the not-so-distant future, I’ll never be without White Tara’s protection. She also helps overcome obstacles, notably impediments to successful Buddhist practice, and I need all the help I can get with that.

The torso piece was done by Dave Gillstrap, over the course of three days in the kitchen of a friend’s house in Suffolk County, NY (take that, David Graham!). Over the course of several months Dave and I planned this large piece to such detail that everything, the stencils and all, fit perfectly when he flew in from San Diego, CA. The image is the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism — the treasure vase, lotus flower, endless knot, dharma wheel, golden fish, right-turning conch shell, parasol and banner of victory — beautifully drawn as a composite group by Robert Beer.

The symbols themselves have too much meaning for me to even delve into, but their placement on my body is rather serendipitous. The Dharma Wheel is centered in my solar plexus, the treasure vase, which spews forth endless treasure and energy is where ones chakra, ki, or chi comes from, and my navel, symbolizing my birth, is centered in the middle of the lotus flower, which symbolizes enlightenment, and the Buddha. The last one, in particular, is meaningful to me, since I could go on for hours about how auspicious its placement is.

Although my body heals too well, I think, for scars, I’m still planning to get more work done. The whole concept of my body forming these images is just too wild for me to stop. For me, it’s about growing and healing, not pain and blood.