A body, used as a canvas, every inch of skin filled with sacred text and figures of mythical creatures, all forming a protective shield. A boxer, a monk, a construction worker, a police man, a soldier, a taxi driver, a shipyard worker, a shaman, a tattoo master; men, women and their inked protection from evil spirits and bad luck. Enter the world of Thailand’s spiritual “yantra” tattoo tradition.

A chest etched with a fierce leaping tiger, a hand adorned with images of geckos on each finger, aback protected by a monkey God, or a shoulder inscribed with ancient Khmer text, sacred ink, believed to have mystical powers. Known in Thai as “sak yant”, the tattoos are a testament to the complex spiritual makeup of Thai society, incorporating elements of Buddhism, Animism, Brahmanism and Hinduism.

A chance encounter with a shipyard worker completely covered in yantra tattoos, another with a young Iggy Pop-like taxi driver, or a fierce looking market trader who looked more like a hit man, the first portrait sessions soon grew into a long term project with the use of large format as well as Polaroid cameras and later sound and motion, to further explore this unique subculture, it’s rituals, symbols and people.

Information on the ‘Sacred Ink’ exhibition