They wrote the countries borders on my skin

2019-2020

photography, tattoo, video

Documenting womxn immigrants through tattoo.

Facing myself some troubles with my immigration journey to Canada, I first needed to create a community with womxn or non-binary persons facing same kind of difficulties to rise from this isolated situation I was stuck into for a year and half without documents and work.

Through an opencall for volunteers, I met womxn and non-binary immigrants in Canada for a tattoo project. The idea was to work with them on a tattoo about their immigration process.

Why being tattooed is important in their immigration journey ? Is there a link between their body as womxn and non-binary, their body as migrant and their choice of being tattooed ?

Ecologic issues, civil wars runners, political refugees or simply dreamers, they all expressed their choice/obligation to leave home was built in a singular way for being womxn and non-binary.

As a political response to the world, they chose to re integrate their body by being tattooed.

This scarification act, painful, bleeding and definitive as an answer of those patriarcal societies we are living in : there is no negociation anymore.

"It's on my skin. I am my own territory"

This wandering body has its home : the inked skin.

The title comes from a song by lebanese queer band Mashrou' Leila.

Awa from France-Senegal

Juliette from Mexico

Shelly from South Korea

Anonymous from Lebanon

Amanda from Venezuela

Naya from Lebanon

Layan from Koweit-Palestine

Marina from Brazil

Anonymous from Guatemala

Mira from Lebanon

Léa from France

Soukayna from Marocco