MARINA
Born 2004 / Student
I met Marina when she responded to my open call for models for Alive and Kicking: Generation Z. She was photographed in the spring, and interviewed in the fall.
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DVW: So how many tattoos do you have?
MARINA: 11.
DVW: Only 11? I swear you had more.
MARINA: I thought I had more too… maybe I'm missing some but I'm pretty sure it's 11.
DVW: And when did you get your first one?
MARINA: The first one I did with a needle when I was like 13. But my first professional one was like a week after I turned 18. I did a stupid little smiley face on my finger. I also did my zodiac sign on my ankle, it's mad crooked and stupid.
[MUTUAL LAUGHTER]
DVW: In all the interviews I've done thus far, almost everyone has told me they got a shitty stick and poke as a minor. But it's not about looking good, right? It’s about remembering who you were when you got it.
MARINA: I don’t know, I regret it. I understand where they're coming from to an extent. I felt that way. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was just a stupid teenager who wanted to get a tattoo really bad. Now [years later] I’m trying to justify it, but it’s not that deep.
[PAUSES]
MARINA: You know Madeline Pendleton? She's on TikTok. She made a TikTok once where she said, “Having bad tattoos makes you more appreciative of good tattoos.” Like, no. Tattoos are permanent on the body. They’re such a permanent thing.
DVW: Well, have you thought about changing your old tattoos, or getting them covered up?
MARINA: No, I can work with it. They’re not all bad tattoos. They just need things around them.
I like to think of my body under construction until further notice, until I'm old… I think of my body like a stamp book, a stamp book full of people's art.
DVW: Speaking of cover-ups. Would you ever get someone’s name tattooed?
MARINA: I don't think I would ever get words in general. They just don’t appeal to me the same as pictures do. But I could understand why people get names.
DVW: Personally, I’ve thought about getting my mom's name tattooed, because I'm really close with her. That’s a safe name to pick, my mom’s. Now something like a significant other, that's more risky.
MARINA: That is really risky. It’s a crazy thing to do. Think about the person whose name is getting put there. How do they feel about that?
DVW: Are you in a relationship currently? Would you ever get [your significant other’s] name tattooed on you?
MARINA: I am, but I would never. But if I ever got a name tattooed, it would have to be a really nice looking name [aesthetically].
DVW: I went to the same art school you’re now enrolled in. I know there's a very strong tattoo culture there as well as just art schools in general. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the tattoo culture that you witness around campus or maybe participate in?
MARINA: Everybody [at art school] has tattoos. Everybody. But the thing I find weirder is seeing all these people with Pinterest tattoos. So many times, on campus, someone will say, “I have this tattoo,” show it, and then somebody across the room says, “Oh my God, I have the exact same one!”
DVW: Wait, what? Are you talking about flash [tattoos]?
MARINA : No. They'll show their tattoo, and I’ll recognize it from Pinterest. Viral tattoos. People are getting viral tattoos done.
DVW: That's fascinating— I was talking in previous interviews about how the internet has influenced people when getting tattoos. So many people said they like to browse flash on Instagram. But this concept of “viral” tattoos is its own niche genre, I’d never even considered that. That potentially thousands of people could have the same viral Pinterest tattoo.
MARINA: No, it’s really weird. Even I’ve had a Pinterest board for tattoos since I was 12. And there’s some very popular ones. Like angel numbers.
DVW: Have you seen people tattooing at parties or in the dorms?
MARINA: Yes, there are a few people on campus that are really good. Reminds me of this one guy who goes to Arizona State University. I think his Instagram is like, “Dan's illegal tattoos” or something. His tattoos are really cool, and he’s getting good practice, despite just doing tattoos on his campus. But in comparison, my friend who goes to FIT, they were talking to me about someone on their campus who does tattoos, someone who free-hands them. They look horrible, and they’re so confident doing it. My friend and I are like, “We shouldn’t be doing this to people!”
DVW: There should be stricter tattoo regulations, you think?
MARINA: Yes and no. There was an Inked [magazine] interview that went viral a few years ago, where this woman was freaking out over tattoo guns being accessible on Amazon. I agree that it’s pretty crazy. But at the same time, you can't really restrict art forms. I guess it gets complicated when it's on another person's body.
DVW: Do you think your tattoos enforce your identity as an artist, if you identify as an artist?
MARINA: For other people, it gives them an insight of who I am, I've noticed. I have some weird tattoos that, once people get to know me, they say they make sense for me. But there's also people who have tattoos that aren't artsy people. Tattoos have given everybody access to art in a different way, I know business majors that have really dope tattoos. Tattoos make art accessible to all kinds of people.
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