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Tattoos: to some people they are a mark of beauty, of individuality or group identity, to others a distasteful form of flamboyance or disfigurement, and yet, to others, a poorly understood taboo. Whether tattoos are seen as being decorative or disgusting appears to depend upon not simply the design, but also the time, the place and the people one associates with. Certainly tattoos seem to be gaining in general acceptance, but they remain a subject about which few people are neutral; reactions tend to be polarised and strong for such a simple matter. Undeniably, they are experiencing a resurgence; gaining in popularity, experiencing recognition as a ‘new’ art form, and within themselves, gaining an intricacy and artistic sophistication hitherto unknown. |
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The Tattoo is a collaborative effort. Geoff Gaylard researched and wrote most of the text. Tony Cohen wrote the Preface, but more importantly most of the photographs and illustrations came from Tony’s extensive collection of tattoo memorabilia.
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 Tony and Miss Nude Australia, 1992 |