This textile tapestry is called ‘Pilgrim’ which
forms part of a series I have worked during
lockdown. My aim is to make a series of six
portraits of men with tattoos and how they
portray themselves through instagram.
I use the traditional medium of textiles to create
my work. I like that textiles have historically been
used to assert identity. Depending on the
material, the print and the texture; a viewer will
read the materials in a certain context. This can
lead to a judgement about a person’s identity.
I enjoy using textiles within my practice to
reframe these visual symbols. I enjoy subverting
binary narratives to explore gender, sexuality
and identity.
Tattoos can be seen as aggressive, defiant,
dominant and an armour over our skin. It can
also display images which are beautiful,
displaying emotionally significant stories which
are sensitive and reveal the vulnerability of a
person. Tattoos are embedded in human history
and continue to be a visual record which people
proudly display on themselves. I hope this series
draws attention to some of these themes.
This portrait is based on an image by
@ecoline13 on instagram.
I have used a combination of visual references
from tattoos which are on his body and
magnified them alongside other images to create
a collage of ideas regarding a personal journey
alongside the notion of a collective journey.
@Ecolina13 has publicly shown his transition
from female to male and also shared other areas
of his life; such as his marriage. In this piece I
aim to explore how we individually go through a
‘life journey’ and how we currently record these
series of events by documenting visual records
through this social platform.
Further details about how the piece was
developed can be found on my website www.oliverbliss.blogspot.com
