我是纹身师gogo - I am a tattoo project. Will you be a tattoo project?

The goal of tattooing was never beauty. The goal was change. From the scarified Nubian priests of 2000 B.C., to the tattooed acolytes of the Cybele cult of ancient Rome, to the moko scars of the modern Maori, humans have tattooed themselves as a way of offering up their bodies in partial sacrifice, enduring the physical pain of embellishment and emerging changed beings. Despite the ominous admonitions of Leviticus 19:28, which forbade the marking of one’s flesh, tattoos had become a rite of passage shared by millions of people in the modern age—everyone from clean-cut teenagers to hard-core drug users to suburban housewives. The act of tattooing one’s skin was a trans formative declaration of power, an announcement to the world: I am in control of my own flesh. The intoxicating feeling of control derived from physical transformation had addicted millions to flesh-altering practices . . . cosmetic surgery, body piercing, bodybuilding, and steroids . . . even bulimia and transgendering. The human spirit craves mastery over its carnal shell.

• Dan Brown (The Lost Symbol)

这是丹布朗的《失落的秘符(The Lost Symbol)》中的一段话

“纹身从来都不是为了好看，而是为了蜕变。从公元2000年前的努比亚祭司，到古罗马Cybele cult上纹身的侍祭，再到现代毛利族的moko scar, 人类都在以纹身的方式把他们的身体作为祭品，忍受纹身的痛，以蜕变的自己重现。尽管利维坦的19:28中有这样一段警戒，即禁止在肉身上做记号，纹身在现代社会中已然成为百万人的仪式，从利落的青年，到硬派的瘾君子，再到郊区的主妇。纹身这一行为，是一种对于转变的权利宣告，是在向世界宣布：我是我肉身的主宰。这种让人沉醉的来自肉身转变的控制感使得无数人上瘾……同样的还包括整容，穿孔，塑身，增肌粉……甚至是贪食症和变性。人们渴望主宰自己的肉身。”

我和你们一样，爱自己的身体，爱自己的每一寸皮肤。

而关于纹身的那些所谓的有关道德和欲望之间的争执从来就没有停止过，在历史的长河中人们对这种艺术的表现形式始终褒贬不一。从那些关于纹身的有记载的争执和定义，到那些还没有被记载的，还有那些也许在未来还将会发生变化的纹身定义和偏见。在这一切之上，是什么让我决定要在皮肤上留下永久不能抹去的印记呢？

真的是因为我想要主宰肉身吗？

正如生和死不是完全相对的定义，肉身和灵魂又为何能被完全剥离的定义呢。

肉身难道不是灵魂在世上的表达吗？肉身难道不是我们灵魂的工具吗？

你为什么不装饰它呢？

I love my body and every inch of skin just like you.

The controversy about the morality and desire about tattoos has never stopped. From those documented conflicts and definitions about tattoos, to those that haven't yet be documented, as well as these definitions and prejudices that may change in the future. On top of all this, what made me decide to get a permanent indelible mark on my skin?

Is it really because I want to mastery over my carnal shell?

Just as life and death are not completely relative definitions, why can the carnal shell and the soul be defined as if they are totally separate?

As if the carnal shell is not the expression of the soul. The carnal shell is a tool for the soul, isn't it?

Why not decorate it?

也许是因为那天在东南亚小岛上的某个院子里，天气晴朗，阳光正好，我觉得如果臂膀上有一只猫陪我那就大好特好了。所以那时我决定让当时工作的纹身店里的师傅为我做了一个猫纹身。当时就只是想要表达我喜欢猫咪而已，但是更深来说也许是想将一句中国谚语变成图片放在身上：“狗仰视人猫蔑视人猪一视同仁”。

啊话说我身上还有一只狗呢。边境牧羊犬拖拖是陪伴我成长的小伙伴，我爱她，她也爱我，可惜当时人犬两地，十分想念，想它陪我。并且此纹身也是完成“狗仰视人猫蔑视人猪一视同仁”的诠释的第一步。

Maybe it was because that was a sunny day and the sun shine in that courtyard on a small island in Southeast Asia, I thought it would be great if there was a cat be with me on my arm. Or I was just trying to express that I like cats. So I got that cat tattoo from my buddy in tattoo studio.

Before I got this cat tattoo, I got a puppy tattoo on my body. Toto the border collie, she is my little companion. I love her and she loves me too. Unfortunately, that time we were separate in two different countries. I miss her so much that I want her to accompany me everywhere. So I got her tattooed on my body also by my workmate in Singapore. And this tattoo is the first step in completing an interpretation of "dogs look up to people, cats despise people, and pigs treat all alike", along with the cat tattoo.

也许你会觉得我纹身的理由莫名其妙，可作为一个纹身师，我何尝没有见识过过更多莫名其妙，甚至难以理解的纹身理由。

纹身作为一种“边缘”艺术，有人认为纹身是黑帮小混混的象征，就来找我纹了曾经在古惑仔影片里非常流行的过肩龙纹身。

Perhaps you might think that the reason for my tattoo is puzzling. As a tattoo artist, I have seen so many more inexplicable or even unexplained tattoo reasons.

Tattoo was a kind of art which is on the edge. Some people think that tattoo is a symbol of gangster culture. So they came to me for the gangster tattoo, which was once very popular in these crash film, that kind of dragon tattoo over the shoulder.

gogo.tattoo/gogo/tattoo/chinese_chest

有人纹身为了潮流、特立独行，所以请我为她私人定制纹身设计。

Some people get tattoos for the fashion trend, for being maverick. So they come to me and ask for her private custom tattoo design.

gogo.tattoo/gogo/design/mighty_cosmonaut

gogo.tattoo/gogo/tattoo/mighty_cosmonaut

有人纹身没有原因仅仅是因为好玩，所以有时候会有客人随机选择了一个纹身设计便纹在身上（我不推荐这样做）。

但是有些时候生活会让你感到惊喜，给你带来很多关于这样的纹身的巧合。随着时间的推移，这些纹身也会潜移默化的开始变成你的生活轨迹。毕竟是在自己身上每天可以看到的纹饰，纹身的风格和选材也许真的会影响你的性格。

Some people have tattoos for no reason, maybe just for fun. Sometimes my client randomly chooses a tattoo design and do it without even knowing what was that. (I strongly don't recommend you to do like this).

But sometimes life surprise you, with time flowing, these tattoos also bring you a lot of coincidence and slowly starting make sense. Because you can see your tattoo everyday on your own body. The style and the elements you choose for the tattoo may really affect your character.

gogo.tattoo/gogo/tattoo/dont_hesitate

有人用纹身遮盖伤疤。

Some clients need to use a tattoo to cover scars.

gogo.tattoo/gogo/tattoo/lion_scar_cover

有人把纹身当作一种纪念（关于爱情、亲情和友情）……

Some people regard tattoos as a kind of commemoration (about love, affection and friendship)......

gogo.tattoo/gogo/tattoo/daisy

他纹小雏菊，用来纪念已逝的人。

你想过尝试纹身吗？

促使你想要纹身的理由会是因为你想要主宰肉身吗？
也许会促使你想要纹身理由也正如以上我所提到的部分客人的纹身理由。

你想要摆脱“固步自封”的命运咽喉，比没有纹身的人有更彻底明了的可以被世人直观的对自我的表达。
你想要灵魂的个性色彩被看到，想要释放压抑在肤色下的有趣灵魂，想成为时尚潮流中的一种新诠释。
也许，也是想要用纹身这一种特殊的身体艺术手法来刻录那些总有一天会被时光磨退色的故事。

He used some daisies to commemorate the dead.

Have you ever tried tattoo?

Do you believe your reason for getting a tattoo is because you want to master over the carnal shell? It might be not, what prompt you to want a tattoo, I guess should be similar to these reasons above.

You want to get rid of the fate of being "complacent". Compare to these people which have no tattoos, you might have more chance to be intuitive self expression, people can see the color of your thoughts just from your appearance.

You want your interesting personality to be seen, and you want to release your ego by the colors on your skin, and want to be a new interpretation of fashion trends.

Or you want to use the special body art technique - tattoo, to document your stories which will fade away someday.

这是我在可见部位的第一个纹身，是我个人儿时绘画本上的小机器人。加以修饰之后便文在了身上。
印象中儿童时期的我，听话死板，被宗教家庭教育等等带来的条条框框束缚的死死的，生活和思想都没有自由，却也享受着呆在教条规则保护下的各种好处。就像这个被糖果环绕的机器人。

我想要看见我的人知道，在这副皮囊里面的我，曾经是这样的小机器人。

This is my first tattoo on the visible part of my body. It's a small robot from my childhood sketches. After some modification, I got it tattooed by Wendy when I was 16.

In my impression, I was a super obedient and rigid child, was bounded by religious, family, education and other rules without any freedom for my life or for my mind, while enjoying the benefits of staying under the doctrine of dogma protection. Just like a little robot surrounded by candy, just like the sketch.

I want people to see what was inside this shell. It was once a small robot.

后来在辗转中去到新加坡生活，便想为小机器人加上了一个充满阳光，带有新加坡风格小花花的背景。还有一句带有个人信条色彩的Carpe diem(From Quintus Horatius Flaccus)。我觉得这句话也是大部分纹身者的奥义，话语中带着自由和对生命丰富性的向往。

1 year later I started my new life in Singapore. So I added a sunshine background for the little robot, with some Singapore style flower. There is also a sentence "Carpe Diem (From Quintus Horatius Flaccus)" added. It could be my personal credo. I think this message is for most of the tattoo lovers, with all the wishes for the real freedom and abound life attitude.

先不说全世界人们的自由观。在中国自宋以后，中国人就已经习惯在一个森严的道德体系下生活，在自我的表达方面就没有太自由过。因为无法冲破虚伪的统治，所以少数叛逆分子开始了自我伤害，放逐。挥毫虚无的才气在更为虚无的对抗中，开始了一个扭曲的纹身文化，结局可想而知。而今的中国，思潮甚多，已无曾经那样多的道德枷锁，面对小众文化却仍然总有尴尬。关于纹身的结症与精神层次的毒素并未消除，如同一些保守分子在提倡身体发肤受之父母的同时，熬夜工作或者不关心健康，这与纹身又有什么区别，若做到极端岂不比纹身更甚。

且看纹身如今的发展，早已不会像古代那般“低调又冷艳”承载着隽永生生不息的信仰，或是祭祀还是为了文化，也不会像B级片里描绘得那般阴暗低俗。仅仅是为了美化灵魂的宫殿，展现自我的色彩。

也许你会把自己的故事写进日记，发布博客，分享给好友，但是身体其实也可以是一本珍贵的纪念册。身体可以承载你的过去，你的当下，你的未来，是你最宝贵的一张画纸，可以交托给你信任的纹身师篆刻你的故事。

I don't know much about the people's view of freedom in the world. But in China, since the Song Dynasty, Chinese have been accustomed to living under a strict moral system, and they have not been too free to express themselves. Because they can not break the hypocrisy of the rule, so a small number of rebels began self harm or exile, and brought up a twisted tattoo culture.

Today, China has even more ideological trends, and there are no longer so many moral shackles. But while facing these minority cultures as tattoo, sometimes still getting embarrassment. Problem and spiritual toxins of tattooing haven't been removed from people's mind.

And now we are seeing the development of tattoo world. It is already not anything about "low-key", but carrying a meaningful message from the wearer's life. Just to decorate the palace of the soul by patterns made with the wearer's stories.

Perhaps you will write your story in the diary, in your blog, or share it with your friends. But actually your body also can be a precious souvenir book. The body can carry your past, your present and your future, why not document these most valuable moments of your life on your body.

当死亡降临让我们和肉体分离之前，在我们仍然可以用眼睛看见的时候，在皮肤这张最宝贵的画纸上常常看到自己最喜欢的东西，难道不是很美妙的吗。

我在手臂前段纹上了两朵mandala，因为相传这是与人类意识相连通的一种图案图形。在这个低头就能看见的位置，可以方便我长期观察，体会这些图形，传说这可以提升人类的潜意识状态，达到更高级的意识形态。

我不想因为我有纹身便被认为我流连世俗。我也不想因为当今获取信息渠道主要是看见，听见，摸到，等等实相的途径而渐渐忘记生疏了更为高效神奇的途径，就是用心去感受捕捉信息，类似于人们常说的第六感，mandala图形就是提升人类潜意识状态的一种途径。

我的纹身图形是潜意识的呼应，常常带有即视感现象，这种似曾相识的感觉，从得到这个纹身时到如今，仍然令我心驰神往。

Before the death comes to us, before we separate from our physical body, while we still can see with our eyes, I would love to always see these things which I love to be on my skin.

I have two mandalas on my front arm. I love the tattoo because it is a graphic pattern connected with human consciousness. In the position where it can be easily seen; it is convenient for me to observe and understand these figures. It is said that this can promote the subconscious state of human beings and achieve higher ideology.

I don't want to be judged as linger secular just because I have tattoos. I always feel that my tattoos are my subconscious echo, before I got them, they were already bringing me that sense of visual phenomena. Not only these mandala which enhanced the human subconscious state of mine, but also every tattoo I decided to get before and after. These feelings of deja vu, till now they still fascinate me.

也许我真的已经携带了纹身太久，实在是清楚纹身的套路。可是现实却是如此，想纹身的人没想法，为纹而纹；做纹身的人不去想，为钱而纹。我不想让纹身文化深陷在部分纹身者对自身的无知，和纹身师创作思域的局限里。不希望纹身行业固步自封，重复在狭隘纹身风格里。 纹身本应是凝结人的时间、情感与血泪的艺术，是付出肌肤，承受痛楚，与自己相伴终生的艺术品。我希望纹身这门艺术，在世界上大范围的登上艺术的殿堂，撕下流氓的标签，改掉僵化的形态，戒掉唯利的意识。

所以gogo.tattoo出现了，用来记录纹身，不仅仅是纹身图片，更是希望记录下纹身对于纹身承载者的意义。

每个人都是与众不同，独一无二的，纹身也是。

“年轻人感到无法改变世界，所以只好改变自己的身体”。

在我们看来，纹身是对美的追求，对故事的纪念，对勇敢的彰显。是时代的勋章，是对灵魂的珍重，是自我的展现。

Maybe I really have been doing tattoos for too long, that's why I always think I know what is happening in tattoo world. Some people who want to have a tattoo have no idea how tattoos are done; they worry too much about it, then they give up. Some people who make tattoos for people have no idea how they will effect the tattoo wearer, and just do it for money.

I don't want our tattoo culture become worse and worse by the ignorance from tattoo artists for not respecting the client's requirements, or by the limitations from client's for not letting tattoo artists doing great creations.
I don't want the tattoo industry become complacent and repeated in narrow tattoo style.

Tattoos consume time from both artist and client, consume a lot of emotion and some tears, and these condensates into art
Tattoos require clients to feel pain, to break the skin, and to carry the art for the rest of the life.

I hope that the art of tattoo can be on a large scale of the art hall in this world. I hope it to rip off the label of gangsters, remove the rigid form, quit the sense of profit, and become real art.

It was well said: "Young people feel they can't change the world, so they want to change their bodies."
Everyone is different, unique, and so are their tattoos. I've tattooed some 70-80 years old people who were satisfied with their life and this world. They were happy with the fact that they could have tattoos on their bodies. I've tattooed some young generation people, they are not happy with this world, but also not trying to change it anyhow.

So gogo.tattoo appeared, to document tattoos. Not just tattoo pictures, but also tattoo process and the stories in it, what also can be about client's attitude about tattoos. There are too many possibilities in it.

In our view, tattoo is the pursuit of your beauty, the commemoration of your story, the courage that you should shout out loud. It is a medal of our time, a treasure of our soul, a manifestation of ourselves.

gogo和gogo.tattoo创始人

gogo and the founder of gogo.tattoo

我在世上的故事未完，我的纹身项目也未完。

我身上还有太多纹身故事想要被展现，不知道可否写另一个文章在 Introduceyourself 的标签里。 :)

我是一个纹身项目，你想不想让gogo.tattoo也承载你的纹身故事呢？

我是纹身师gogo。

My stories in this world are unfinished, so as my tattoos. I am an unfinished tattoo project.

I still have too many tattoo stories haven't been shown, and I don't know if I can write another article in "introduceyourself" tag. :)

If you decide to get a tattoo, do you want gogo.tattoo to carry your tattoo story too? ;)

♥

I'm the tattoo artist, Gogo.

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