“I tattooed the lowercase ‘i’ on my hand. It is a reminder that no matter how I may feel or how bad I want to not be around, I have a purpose for myself, my family, the worlds I live in. I see that tattoo every single day. While I feed myself, wash and groom myself, when I’m happy and even when I’m not.” Quiara Capellan
Reclamation of Self “It’s my canvas and I feel like it helps me claim ownership of my body. Body modification, I feel, has opened a lot of expression for myself.” Tann Parker “Body modification allows us to express our true selves. It allots us the agency over how we present ourselves to the world. For some people, wearing bold clothing and bright colors helps them make a statement. For others, its modification of the human form. It’s quite beautiful, actually. It’s the only kind of pain and scarring we have control over.” Quiara Capellan
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“My parts aren’t unique. People have different abilities and body shapes and sizes, but we are all constituted fairly similarly. So there’s a way that body modifications are just small changes that you make to what is overwhelmingly the same. For me that feels like an investment in being alive in a way. It’s like the difference between like moving into an apartment and never unpacking versus nesting.” Anaïs Duplan “Being a trans masculine person, I think often about my transition. I am now in the phase of my body that I was thinking about getting into and it’s so bizarre and euphoric and crazy. It is something that I’ll be dealing with and thinking about for my whole life.” Anaïs Duplan “They help me operate in a world guided by white supremacy. I have a ‘Black Excellence’ script across my chest so white people know what I’m about and how to approach me. I think tattoos can be really useful in that way, as public declarations. Your body is something that you can use as a platform to extend your messages beyond verbal communication.” Doreen Garner Studio Fall/Winter 2019–20