ILARIA ARPINO

2021

Limestone

28"H x 7"W x 7” | 71cmH x 18cmW x 18D

I speak as one who has no tattoo, I should say; I am fascinated by the people who have one. I imagined and let my untattooed mind linger on the possibility of creating one on a sculpture. The Woman with Tattoo sculpture is a limestone portrait of a female. The simplicity of her elongated facial contours leads to a fracture on the left cheek. A tattoo of a snake is coiling out of it and elegantly is winding around peonies, wild flowers and leaves. Adding to the many symbolisms and meanings of the snake, the tattoo on the face of the woman represents how an individual is deemed by society and tells a personal story about the person.