pretend this tattoo is a spell (2016 - ongoing)
pretend this tattoo is a spell positions tattooing as a form of ritualized magic. each tattoo is a sigil designed in collaboration with the bearer through the sharing of stories about their hopes and fears. these stories are the basis for the imagery used in each tattoo.

eden
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sonia g.
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cat
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lizzie
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sonia s.
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sonia s.
×when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick (2017)
when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick was an installation and tattooing project presented by Neutral Ground Artist Run Centre. 8 participants were invited to select a design from the installation to have tattooed on their bodies while lying in the centre of a magic circle, surrounded by dried sunflowers and red-brown spires taken from Regina’s industrial area. Each tattoo design references a liminal space and is meant to function as a sort of talisman to help the bearer move through hard times. The designs were collected into a zine, copies of which were gifted to each of the participants.
i've been thinking a lot about ~transition - moving around, over, under, through. is there any meaning inherent in choosing to survive in a hostile environment? what if you put down roots there? my body doesn't work like it used to and i don't know how much longer i can keep running.

when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick (Installation View), 2017.
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when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick (Installation View), 2017.
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when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick (Installation View), 2017.

when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick (Installation View), 2017.
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when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick (Installation View), 2017.
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when god closes a door i smash his window with a brick (Performance), 2017.
DYKE (2020)
i got the word DYKE tattooed on my forehead as a way of reclaiming my receding hairline and asserting my identity as a butch lesbian. as some members of the LGBT community adopt increasingly conservative, trans exclusionary ideas around who can call themselves a dyke, and whether or not it’s okay to self-identify with slurs more generally, i’m interested in what it means to be visibly marked as someone with contrary politics.

DYKE, 2020. (hand poked tattoo by Avianna Hudym.)
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