Russian Mafia Tattoos

Images from the russian Criminal Encyclopedia

Just found an amazingly site about Russian mafia tattoos. I keep on thinking about tattoo designs, and I like the images of power and fear in Russian images. There is something rather different about Russia, especially with the mix of Asian and European imagery and developing a new beautiful style. Their tattoos aren't the tear drop symbols of murder or other images I associate with British and western criminality.

The particularly skinny nature of them is due to malnourishment, quite a contrast from the muscle madness of my stereotype vision of a prisoner. Many of these individuals had torturous past lives and their tattoos are testament to this. Pornography, politics, alcohol, violence and religion all feature in the motifs depicted. I like the grim reality Sergei produces.

Sergei Vasiliev a prison warden, alongside other prison wardens and ethnographer Danzing Badaev compiled thousands of drawings and photos from 1948 to 2005. Supported by the KGB they produced a beautiful collection of images showing an amazing aspect of Russian history that would have likely been forgotten. In 2003, The publisher fuel, compiled these images in the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia. I hope you enjoy the images.

 

Death Perception

The acknowledge of death remains a western taboo; which grows as we distance ourself further from death in daily life.

Death has been acknowledged in literature for many centuries, and also within the world of Art. Frans Snyder, a popular flemish artist held a taste for paiting dramatic scenes of dead animals. The 'Fish Market' is a fitting example of such work.

Damien Hirst is a modern suitor of death. His phemaldehyde animals offer a real assault on the conciousness of death in the minds of his audience. This death obsession is the focus for many contemporary works. Death is a central theme to many modern works including those of Fumie Sasabuchi.

The above image by Sasabuchi attempts to induce a chilling atmosphere of anatomical disfigurement in a partially lifelike human figure.Skeletal forms are superimposed on the bodies of models, countering the beauty underneath.
Hazy skeletal forms feature in many of her other pieces, aiming to alter the viewers perception of perfection in fashion magazines.

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
by IgnitionVM

I love music videos which have an essence of originality. Low budget, highly creative videos are what can really launch an artist. They also provide a break from the monotonous production of yet another music video. The song however is somewhat lacking without the video.