Sandi Fellman | The Body is the Message Exhibition

During the early 1980s, photographer Sandi Fellman documented with great sensitivity and fidelity the art of Japanese tattoos – Irezumi. Fellman met with renowned tattoo master Mitsuaki Ohwada, better known as Horikin (“Engraved in Gold”), and for three years photographed his work and that of his colleagues. The art of Irezumi, literally meaning “Inserting Ink”, became fashionable in Japan during the 18th century Edo period. Its primary sources of inspirations are the Kabuki Theater, Ukiyo-e prints and traditional Japanese folklore and literature, chief among them the Suikoden tales. The past several decades have seen a rise in Western and Manga (Japanese comics) influences as well.  

Over the past century these tattoos have become associated with Japanese organized crime syndicates, the Yakuza. It is estimated that roughly 70 percent of Yakuza members have tattoos. At the beginning of the 20th century these tattoos were outlawed in Japan, but members of the Yakuza ignored the edict and continued to tattoo themselves, leading to the identification of Irezumi with the criminal underworld. The tattoos span across the entire body, except the hands, feet and face, so they can be entirely covered by clothing. Done in the traditional technique, the tattooing process is a long and painful one. The ability to withstand the pain has become a symbol of fearlessness, endurance and loyalty to the organization.

Fellman used a 20”x24” polaroid camera, which was 1.5 meters in height and 1 meters wide, and weighed roughly 900 kg. It was one of only five such cameras in existence.

Sandi Fellman is an acclaimed fine art, fashion and product photographer. Her works is housed in many art collections around the world, among them the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Sandi Fellman’s works were part of the “The Body is the Message” Exhibition and Conference held by ArtLink & The Rothschild Foundation in 2016.