Human Rights Meets Miami Ink

I’ve been on the receiving end of a tattoo needle for the past 21 years. In New York, I work with various magazines and musicians — when I’m in Dharamsala my life appears to be drastically different, many of my close friends there are monks and geshes, and young people who have dedicated their lives to social change.

Over the past three years I’ve balanced these two seemingly opposite lifestyles.  I began to realize that one common thread between these drastically different worlds was tattoos, many of the young Tibetan activists are covered in political tattoos — even more so than many of my musician friends in the States were.

On March 3rd I’m headed back to India, this trip will be my shortest yet, only two weeks.  But I’m working on one thing and one thing only: documenting these tattoos.  I’ll be using pictures and videos.  Each story will need to be approached differently, and I’m looking forward to this challenge.