Belief Over Beauty
Nowadays tattoing is a very fashionable art, but its origins go back thousands of years for cultural or religious reasons around the world.
I spent over a year exploring the impressive world of Sak Yan, the hand made Thai traditionnal tattoo done by monks and laymen, called Ajarn (master).
I had the chance to spend time and photograph different masters with whom i learned a lot about their tradition and their knowledge making them unique.
"AMONG THAILAND'S MAGICAL TATTOO MASTERS"
Sak Yan it’s an art where belief passes over beauty and aesthetics, which bring the whole spiritual dimension. A highly respected religious and ancestral tradition in Thai society.
"SPELLS AND SIGILS"
Creating a sacred link between the master and their disciples and where the power of magic takes places.
People believe very strongly in what the tattoo can bring them as protection in their lives for many different purposes.
"BELIEF OVER BEAUTY"
I attended various events, such as the annual ceremonies known as "Wai Khru", where disciples pay homage to their master and receive their blessings.
For nearly a year, French photographer Jessie Lie penetrated deeply into the world of sak yan, the Thai tradition of hand-tattooing ink designs on the body for spiritual purposes, to assemble this special collection of black-and-white images.
It’s a world of magic and mystery that outsiders find difficult to access and to understand. With patience and perseverance, Lie enjoyed extended periods of time inside Thailand’s relatively guarded khru sak (tattoo master) community, living amongst them, sharing food with their families, and attending special ceremonies such as the annual wai khru, in which disciples pay homage to masters past and present.
From within this remarkable subculture, she was able to document the tradition with her camera whilst engaged in deep dialog with both masters and disciples. The resulting photo collection, carefully curated with the assistance of S Gallery’s Martin Gerlier, offers a rare glimpse into the everyday sak yan world that most people, including many Thais, know very little about.
About sak yan: As elegant and eye-catching as the art may be, it is intended to be far more than simple decoration or cosmetic enhancement. Each design represents a specific magico-religious purpose, served not only by the design itself, but by the master who applies the tattoo and, just as importantly, by the self-discipline and morality of the wearer.
While some foreigners harbour the impression that Thai tattoo masters are always Buddhist monks (hence the misconceived nickname “temple tattoos”), there are in fact many more laymen applying sak yan than monks. What both have in common is a long apprenticeship under an older khru sak, whether monk or layperson.
The apprenticeship is deemed complete when the master feels that his apprentice has fully absorbed the master’s weecha (magical knowledge) and is fully capable of tattooing on his own.
A photographic exhibition by Jessie Lie.