Under the Skin, Over the Body

Ink on Acrylic and Plaster, Fabric

Year: 2025

Dimensions: 16 in x 5 in x 5 in

This piece is a plaster cast of my arm printed with linocut tattoos in the American Traditional style. The imagery was chosen based on how recognizable they are, in addition to how their meanings shift depending on who’s looking at them. That tension mirrors my own experience of how identity gets interpreted, by others and by myself, in ways that might not always line up.

For example, the swallow traditionally represents loyalty and returning home, but for me it also reflects the pressure to stay anchored to versions of myself I’ve outgrown. The broken chain became a symbol of wanting to break away from expectations and habits that don’t fit anymore, but also the fear that comes with letting go. The rose stands for softness and beauty, but I’ve always struggled with allowing myself to be seen as vulnerable without feeling exposed. The scorpion represents protection, a reminder of how defensive I can become when I feel misunderstood or misread.

By printing these symbols onto a plaster arm instead of real skin, I’m thinking about the difference between the identities we perform outwardly and the ones we actually feel connected to. The arm becomes a stand-in for the body as a site of both control and conflict. It is a place where meaning can be imposed, erased, or rewritten.
This piece reflects the ongoing process of piecing together who I am while navigating how others choose to interpret me. The tattoos highlight the mismatch between internal experience and external perception, how identity can feel both carefully constructed and constantly unstable. Ultimately, the work becomes a way of examining the struggle of seeing myself clearly in the midst of everyone else’s projections.