SHED
2018

'Seven Veils'

Getting a tattoo, in most cases, often commemorates a moment in time; whether one is aware of it or not, it brings out memories of the past and attaches itself to a specific event that happened then. Some times it reveals positive memories, some times not. But what that does - specifically with no matter how painful it was to endure then - is bring awareness and acknowledgement of the healing process. 'To forgive and forget' is not the premise of this project, but to accept and to grow.

Shed encapsulates rebirth, in the way snakes often shed their skin in order to grow and get rid of parasites left in the old skin. With many analogies that reside in the concept of rebirth, from Salomé's Dance of Seven Veils, to the Phoenix rising from its ashes, the body and its transformations are the primary symbol to the 'coming of age' or 'becoming anew'. Though the skin acts as the protective layer from the outside, the project offers a reminder to occasionally let that guard down and to allow being vulnerable for any potential growth to occur.

Mixed media on silk
Photography by myself and Ciara Vesely