Hateful Tattoo

Mary Coble is a fascinating performance artist...Coble meticulously documented the inscriptions from her previous three Marker (NY, DC and Madrid) Performances and compiled a list of over 200 hateful words and phrases written on her in various languages. For Blood Script, the artist has 75 of the most common words tattooed onto her skin, without ink, in a very ornate script. Using decorative letters, Coble creates a dichotomy between the beautiful visual form of the words and the ugly meanings they convey semantically.

The words appear in blood as the tattooing needles penetrate Coble’s skin. Blood Paintings are made of each word by immediately pressing watercolor paper against the fresh incisions. The mirror image of the word is imprinted on the paper in blood. As each Blood Painting is created, it is placed on the wall during the performance. The number of prints on the wall expands proportionately as the artist’s skin becomes increasingly infused with hateful epithets.

The elaborate script initially engages viewers in the optical challenge of identifying each tattooed insult. The recognition of each word stimulates viewers to reflect upon the significance of what the insult means to them. This dynamic process mediates a silent dialogue between the artist and her audience as the performance progresses.