![]() ![]() “For me, tattooing is an honour, it’s a collaboration,” she says. For her, tattooing is now a spiritual process. She subsequently chose Awen as the name of her female-led tattoo studio. The experience was transformational for her, as it encouraged her to root herself back in Ireland, towards her ancestors it was also the catalyst for her decision to train as a tattoo artist. ![]() While living there, O’Regan was tattooed with the ancient Celtic symbol, Awen, which celebrates creativity, imagination and aesthetic sensibility. “The tattoo is often chosen for you after reading your energy and knowing what power is needed in your life,” O’Regan says. She lived in Phnom Penh in Cambodia for three years, where the ancient Sak Yant art of tattoo ceremony is still celebrated. Phoebe O’Regan is owner of Awen Soul, a spiritual-centred tattoo and healing studio in Cobh, Co Cork. Phoebe O’Regan at work at Awen Tattoos and Rituals: 'I have realised from negative tattoo experiences that receiving and giving a tattoo is an energy exchange.' Photograph: Daragh McSweeney/Provision Phoebe O’Regan, owner of Awen Soul, Co Cork Here, three female tattoo artists talk about their craft, and how they are creating more inclusive spaces for their clients, especially women. But the industry is shifting, and female-led studios run by creative and nurturing women artists are changing the experience of getting a tattoo into something empowering, even ritualistic. Getting one has usually involved choosing a picture and biting down for a few hours, being vulnerable, nervous, intimidated and sometimes unsure of the process. They hold stories, involve intimacy, and often sear with physical and emotional pain. After his death he hopes to donate his full skin to either the National Museum of Australia, National Gallery, or to MONA.Tattoos are more than ink and pretty pictures. Scattered throughout the floral imagery are a number of queer symbols including bears, the red ribbon and the pink triangle. These include waratahs, orchids, azaleas, strelitzias and poinsettias as well as daphne, jacaranda and wisteria. From head to toe, and genitals too, Geoff is covered in tattoos in the Japanese tradition featuring native and exotic flowers that grow in a Sydney garden. Her work sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars. While his tattoos have been inked all over the world, most have been created by eX de Medici, who has gone on to become one of Australia's biggest artists who now has more than a dozen paintings in the NGA. ![]() Geoff was a 42-year-old history teacher when he was first inked by the artist eX de Medici. Pushing 80, he lives in Sydney, in Potts Point. ![]() Geoff Ostling is a heavily tattooed bear, famous for pledging to donate his full bodysuit of tattoos to art after his death. Skin Deep’s featured photographer Waded which will appear in the exhibition, including the incredible tattoos of Geoff Ostling. The show is a dynamic, site-specific experience, with community performers including Geoff and ballroom dancer Basjia Almaan, choreography by Meryl Tankard, live music by The Song Company, and an atmospheric installation in the original Prisoners Tunnel by NAS student Stefania Riccardi, based on the tattoos of female prisoners at Darlinghurst Gaol. Skin Deep an immersive Mardi Gras production exploring the history and meaning of tattoos to LGBTQI people, opens today at the National Art School. ![]()
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