Cut into the flesh with nails and makeshift blades, rubbed into the wounds with a mixture of melted black rubber seals, ground red brick, trash bins, batteries, and saliva — these tattoos are forbidden in the South African prison system. Despite the severe penalties and permanent stigma, tattooing persists. For her photo study Life After, Cape Town photographer Araminta de Clermont sought out former inmates of “Numbers” prison gangs who were struggling for acceptance and survival since being released after years, sometimes decades of incarceration and shot their portraits in their current environment. Faces. Signs. A sailor’s grave. A note to a deceased mother, inked across the forehead. These full body and facial tattoos serve as narratives of crime history and life struggle. See the compelling images in our gallery.
Omar from the series Life After, Araminta de Clermont
Comments (18)
These are really great.
Deffinately a 28 gangster
[...] Cut into the flesh with nails and makeshift blades, rubbed into the wounds with a mixture of melted black rubber seals, ground red brick, trash bins, batteries, and saliva ‘ these tattoos are forbidden in the South African prison system. Despite the severe penalties and permanent stigma, tattooing persists. For her photo study Life After, Cape Town photographer Araminta de Clermont sought out former inmates of ‘Numbers’ prison gangs who were struggling for acceptance and survival since being released after years, sometimes decades of incarceration and shot their portraits in their current environment. Faces. Signs. A sailor’s grave. A note to a deceased mother, inked across the forehead. These full body and facial tattoos serve as narratives of crime history and life struggle. See the compelling images in our gallery. Read more on Tattoes [...]
the teddy bears hanging on the walls in Joseph’s space…haunting in this project.
The art is terrible! No wonder these tatoos are banned. Yiucchh!
oops, I mean Norman not Joseph
For those interested in prison tattoos, watch Alix Lambert’s 2001 documentary about Russian prison tattoos, “The Mark of Cain.” A link to the documentary is here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/mark-cain/
I don’t think it’s about good or bad art. I think it’s about leaving and having a “trace” a mark, an expression where all other expression is banned as well.
So powerful, sad, intriguing, brutal, raw, and revealing.
Max is complaining about the quality of the artwork? Did he miss the part about the “nails and makeshift blades” and the ink being “melted rubber seals, ground red brick…” etc?!? If you are expecting quality you’ve completely missed the point!
Yes Max, I don’t think they are quite into the Ed Hardy things…
If you are interested to understand the life conditions in SA prisons, watch the very well done documentary by Clifford Bestall (BBC). I think the title is “Killers don’t cry”.
max is an idiot
What I find most disturbing about looking at these photos(squeamishly) is that MOST of the men pictured look to be malnourished. Adding in the fact that I have NO idea what was used to draw and imprint the tattoos onto their skin (esp. facial tattoos). I shutter at the thought.
For me it’s a very sad, disturbing portrayal of their existence > not life drawn onto their bodies.
Ha! I’m with Max. (I have to post more because that was too short a posting, apparently, sooooo, I’m still with Max).
[...] Flavorpill says: [...]
[...] of the men who wear them. Araminta de Clarmont’s photo study Life After, can be viewed here. Tags: araminta de clarmont, Inspired, life after photo study, Pictures, south african prison [...]
Do the initials DBD in prison context mean anything to anyone? May be linked to the old local in Potgieter Street Pretoria … possibly political???
[...] But how much of a chance you get to explain your tattoo depends on whom you are explaining it too.Although the majority of people with tattoos have never seen the inside of a prison in real life, an…– and the really confusing part is that similar tattoos can mean radically different things to [...]
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