Tattoos can be really beautiful when done in moderation. When it’s a special piece of art on a person’s body that is an expression of who they are.
We have seen the rise of tattoo enthusiasts who go the extra mile in terms of the number of tattoos they get and where they get them, more prominently with some of the younger rappers who tattoo their faces, huge swathes of their body and so on.
Some go further still, and that is where tattoo lover and addict, Eli Ink stands.
The 27-year-old tattoo artist from Brighton, England has completely transformed his body into an exhibition of tattoos. Places inked include his eyeballs and the inside of his lips.
Eli’s skin is permanently blackened because of this and the transformation took 10 years to complete.
Speaking to England’s Daily mail he said; “In my opinion, the only person who will only ever understand my transition properly is me. I don’t attempt to describe it to anyone,”
He said: “I’ve always been blown away by art itself. Picasso is a huge childhood inspiration to me, especially abstract art, but I do like all forms of art. Body art was just the next local step for me growing up.
“I wanted to look like an abstract character in one of Picasso’s paintings. I love the abstract look, no thought, just pure expression.”
Speaking about tattooing his eyes, which involves delicately injecting ink in between two layers of the scleral of the eye and letting it spread out, he said that the procedure if done wrong could have terrible consequences.
“That’s the risk you take letting anyone near your eyes, even trained surgeons can make mistake. Body modification is a risk taker’s lifestyle.” he said.
His girlfriend, Holly, who is also into body modification is madly in love with him according to the ink man. He also says he doesn’t let negative comments about his looks get to him.
“The best is always nice compliments, that’s always nice to hear, either from tattoo collectors or just passers-by, the worst is always older generation looking down on you and making you feel worthless.”
On whether he’ll ever stop tattooing himself, Ink said; “I will never be finished. It will take me the rest of my life to finish my studies but I am dedicating the rest of my life to body modification and perfecting my work.”
