medical properties of tattoos

Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old mummy discovered in the Alps, holds the record for the oldest known tattoos on a human. He has exactly 61 tattoos, which were primarily created by making fine incisions in the skin and rubbing in pulverized charcoal.

Instead of being decorative, researchers believe the markings served a therapeutic medical purpose similar to ancient acupuncture. they recently confirmed that 15 of them had their effective medical purposes.

in this project, i marked my tattoos that are on the same placement as 15 of his proven therapeutic ones. after that- i replicated topography records of my tattoos inside out based on how deep they went into my skin in the tattooing process by hammering nails on a canvas. 

the main piece with nails on hammers is accompanied with a performance 'Are they real?' which gives an answer to the question above. the performance consists of me scrubbing off my skin wherever it's tattooed with a dishwashing sponge until it becomes all sore and scratched. maybe i might be less real than the tattoos underneath my skin.

a piece that came last in this project is a MEDITATIVE video art 'LET ME BE IN PEACE' WHICH HAS THE TATTOOS PUT ON SHOWCASE, COEXISTING with NATURE and being kissed by sun. A SONG I USED FOR IT IS 'Dona nobis pacem' / a Latin phrase that translates to "Grant us peace". It is a humble, transcendent prayer and a universal cry for tranquility and harmony.