Cubism's heyday was in the early 20th century, but there are at least two people trying to revive this style of modern art today – with other people's skin for a canvas. Jade Tomlinson and Kev James, the tattoo artists behind Expanded Eye, create beautiful cubist tattoo artworks that give this once-revolutionary art movement a new modern following.
They have a beautiful explanation of their creative process on their website; “Each and every unique tattoo we create is our visual interpretation of concepts and stories provided by the client which hold significant meaning to the individual. We encompass as much personal detail as possible whilst allowing each tattoo design to evolve organically into a contemporary piece of art, which we then transfer from paper to skin.”
Their cool tattoo style is especially appropriate given how much modern tattoo enthusiasts like line and geometric tattoos. Read under the photos for some of the stories behind these tattoo ideas!
"Slovenian illustrator and puppet maker Zala's tattoo is concerned with intuition and the power of the beautiful mind. Exploring the positive and negative aspects of the notion that, whilst we have the power to unconsciously dream things into life, at the same time we are able to paralyze ourselves with fear"
"The tattoo and memories of his father are Illias' survival guide for existence. Wishing to find a harmony between living in a modern city whilst experiencing his dependence to nature to its fullest, Illias hopes his tattoo will give him the energy to go on, pursuing the freedom his father gave to him"
"Juliane from Germany, having grown up on the sea, requested a piece to symbolise the unfortunate parting of ways of her ocean-obsessed parents. We depicted the circle of life as her mother, who she describes as an Esmerelda-esque travelling soul, and calm and quiet silver fox of a father, both of whom still live on the sea"
"This piece depicts Judith's unconditional love for her identical twin sister and the complexities and importance of discovering ones own identity as a twin. Judith learned to separate from the person she loves most in the world and affirm herself as a single being"
"The [above] piece serves as a reminder to Carlos that we need to fight to make the most of what we've been given. That involves exploring, discovering, participating, sharing and most importantly, being constantly curious about every detail of life"
"Namkha's tattoo depicts an empowered woman/animal metamorphosing. The transformation symbolising the duality between the everyday woman and the ‘Creatura’, expressing the creative force carried throughout her life which gives her the strength to transcend herself"
"The Cry of the Earth depicts our current man-made ecological crisis. As a lover of nature and active participant in his local ecological association, Noille contributes his efforts to halt mankind's ever-increasing destruction of our natural environment"
"Fashion photographer Naura's tattoo tells the story of a very personal and distressing incident in her life. The tattoo serves as a reminder of the decisions she has made, as she now begins a new chapter of her life. Feeling now as though she has been resurrected, emerging from the dark clouds that have been hanging over her for so long"
"This piece tells the tale of fox-girl Maren's adventure across the north atlantic to find her ultimate happiness in Iceland"
"The leaves in the above piece symbolise the four members of Paolo's family. Despite no longer being together physically and the sadness of dealing with this detachment, they will always be a part of one another"
"We depicted Erik's love for his girlfriend, who he described as his reason for living, as well as the happiness found through raising a glass to life and dreams with his nearest and dearest"