Body Modifiers

Alan Taylor
February 3, 2015
21 Photos
In Focus

Humans have been altering their bodies permanently for thousands of years. Tattoos, piercings, and scarification have been practiced to demonstrate tribal allegiances, to show a life history, to say a constant prayer, to give a warning, or simply to act as an amazing work of art. Collected below are recent images of skin art, implants, and piercings, and a few glimpses into the owners of these modified bodies.

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A tattooed woman follows the show of designer Lena Hoschek at the Berlin Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2015 in Berlin on January 20. #

Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters

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Carlos poses for a portrait at Caracas's International Tattoo Festival on January 30. Local and international tattoo celebrities joined a host of aficionados from across Venezuela on Friday at the four-day festival, which aims to spread awareness of tattoo culture in Venezuela and promote tattooing as an art form. #

Jorge Silva/Reuters

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A competitor shows his tattoos at the MBK Tattoo Contest in a shopping mall in Bangkok on October 23, 2014. #

Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

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Venezuelan Emilio Gonzalez displays implants under his skin and tattoos during an international tattoo encounter in Lima on September 5, 2014. #

Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty Images

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A tattoo of an owl, pictured on the neck of Jharana Gurung, as she poses backstage during the "Nepal Inked—A Tattoo and Lifestyle Convention" in Kathmandu on October 19, 2014. A total number of 70 artists from Nepal and around the world took part in the three-day convention. #

Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

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A man is tattooed at the Venezuela Expo Tattoo in Caracas on January 29. #

Jorge Silva/Reuters

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Tattoo and body modification artist Kala Kaiwi poses for a portrait at Caracas's International Tattoo Festival on January 29. #

Jorge Silva/Reuters

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Tattoo artist Ulises Jacome cuts pieces of skin from the arm of Andres Ramos to make a scarification tattoo in the shape of a snowflake at his studio in Quito on August 29, 2014. #

Juan Cevallos/AFP/Getty Images

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A man browses tattoo designs during the 10th International Tattoo Convention in London on September 27, 2014. #

Neil Hall/Reuters

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A man displays his back tattoo during the first International Tattoo Convention in the Cypriot coastal city of Limassol on June 6, 2014. #

Adel Al-Salman/AFP/Getty Images

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A body modification artist known as Red Skull poses for a picture at Venezuela Expo Tattoo in Caracas on January 29. #

Jorge Silva/Reuters

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A man displays his tattoo at the Hong Kong Tattoo Convention on August 22, 2014 in Hong Kong. #

Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images

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Brazilian tattoo artist Maylcoln waits for clients during Rio Tattoo Week in Rio de Janeiro on January 16. #

Silvia Izquierdo/AP

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A model's hand bearing a tattoo is on display during TattooLaPalooza in Miami on January 10. #

J Pat Carter/AP

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James Ward has a tribal tattoo removed from his face with a laser by Jill France at her "What Were You Inking" clinic in downtown Denver on April 18, 2014. France does pro bono tattoo removal for Colorado Department of Corrections ex-convict clients like Ward, who is enrolled in the Peer 1 Therapeutic Community. #

Rick Wilking/Reuters

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Yang Zhengwei, 24, gets a tattoo—adapted from a famous Chinese painting "Along the River during the Qingming Festival"—on his back in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, China, on April 17, 2014. The 50-centimeter-long, 38-centimeter-wide tattoo on Yang's back was finished after over five days of work. The painting, attributed to Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan, was originally a panoramic painting on a scroll depicting the daily life scenery of a river in the capital Bianjin, today's Kaifeng of Henan province. #

Reuters

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Mexican body modification and tattoo artist Maria Jose Cristerna, also known as "Vampire Woman," poses for a portrait at Caracas's International Tattoo Festival on January 30. #

Jorge Silva/Reuters

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Men display their tattoos at the Hong Kong Tattoo Convention on August 22, 2014 in Hong Kong. #

Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images

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U.S. citizen and tattoo celebrity Matt Gone participates in an international tattoo encounter in Lima, Peru, on September 5, 2014. #

Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty Images

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A Taiwanese tattoo enthusiast takes part in the Dutdutan Tattoo Festival on September 27, 2014 in Manila, Philippines. #

Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images

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A man who has changed his name to King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite adjusts his monocle as he poses during the 10th International Tattoo Convention in London on September 27, 2014. #

Neil Hall/Reuters

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