“I think of my tattoos as a scrapbook of stamps that represent who I was or what I was feeling at a certain time in my life.” – Frank Palumbo, 25
A short stroll up Bedford Avenue reveals a veritable walking art gallery with flesh as medium. Hipsters sit on the stoops of brownstones or on the benches outside cafes and restaurants showing off their ink. Others whizz by on their fixed gear bicycles flashing heavily detailed designs on calves or messages on knuckles.
In nearby McCarren Park, young women loll about on the grass in bikinis. Many show off full back pieces, chest pieces, or sleeves sometimes all three. Their male friends have equally elaborate etchings on arms, legs & torso.
This is Generation Ink, the generation of 20-somethings who regard tattoos as a form of self-expression and a memento of personal freedom. Photographed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, this collection of black and white studio portraits is an unsentimental snapshot of a moment in time.
Paul Nathan was born in Auckland New Zealand. He has a degree in Art History and Art Theory from the University of Canterbury and has studied at the International Center for Photography (ICP) in New York where he was awarded the Herbert Keppler Scholarship. His editorial work has been published in books, magazines, and newspapers around the world.
Generation Ink
Photographs by Paul Nathan
Featuring an essay by Nadine Rubin Nathan
Size: 8” x 10”
104 pages with 55 illustrations
Hard case featuring black & white photographs, front & back
ISBN 978-0-9851368-0-2
$29.95
