During this last Spring quarter at UC Santa Cruz, I had the pleasure of taking Stacy Kamehiro’s class, Art of the Body in Oceania, a course about visual culture phenomena in Polynesian island areas. Before this class, whenever I had heard the term, “tribal tattoo,” all I could think about were sunburned, sweaty lines and triangles in bands across the arm of someone loud (and probably not Polynesian…). After taking this class, I have learned that tattoos/tatau/moko in Polynesia are more like a signature or symbols which represent everything that your life is made of.
I became inspired by the meaningfulness of these tatau/moko, and wanted to create symbols of my own personality–something with mana, or spiritual significance/power. Having based every art piece off the concrete moral of truth, I found the integrity of these artists to be of the utmost admirability. Although I am just now learning about this form of art, I feel that I have known it all my life, and feel grateful to be able to learn about it and to put source to these creative ideals.
Most inspired by the Maori of New Zealand, some men used to use their facial tattoo as their signature in official documents. I decided to add the blue flower into my own image, something that has been literally marked upon the heart on my sleeve since the age of 18 (which is coincidental when you take into account the significance of these Maori facial tattoos or moko: they are a symbol of identity, attained when one is “coming-of-age”). I had decided on this as the symbol for my self.
Also represented in some of these cultures’ tattoo practices were personal accomplishments. After my first major installation exhibit, All of My Love and Yours Truly debuted at the Sesnon Underground last January, I started to believe that I really could do anything I put my mind to if I try hard enough. The exhibit, which was a euphoric room of personless romance, littered with rose petals and satin ribbons and polyester clouds–featured sliced oranges on a pedestal, situated next to lemons, to entice the sense of smell with nostalgia. I chose oranges to represent this major accomplishment in my artistic career, of a time when my scent invited dozens of strangers into the most loving depths of my finally physicalized heart.
Lastly, I chose to add the leaves of roses, rather than the roses themselves, as a reminder to stay grounded and connected to the things which may captivate my mind. Sometimes I am taken back by how influential the mood of a moment can be, stepping out of my emotions instantly just to revel in the fact that they can be changed so quickly. The leaves of the rose symbolize mindfulness, as well as the support that I have around me. They symbolize the continuation of growth, the small details, of unity, and balance.
I hope to continue on this project and eventually fill the entire page with everything that makes me lucky to be who I am.
Artist- Julianna Chavez
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