The Woman of the Spirit World

The women of Kutia Kondh, from India's Orissa/Odisha province, adorn their faces in geometric tattoos. As their tribal name means "people of the spirit world," they do this to ensure they recognize each other in the next life. The tattooing method itself involves poking the skin with thorns and allowing an infection to develop in order for the tattoo to become more visible. For more information on this tradition, visit here.

For my art piece, I chose to honour this art form and tradition and combined this study with intricate Indian geometric fabrics and ceramics, in pigments of blues, reds and 22K gold gouache with gold foil work.