Tattoos present an uncommon contradiction: they are permanent on the skin, yet fleeting, their existence bound to the life of their wearer.Ripe positions photography as an intervention and investigation into this duality, exploring the tension between these two forms of image-making. Focusing on tattoos created up to the 1980s,Ripe serves as a catalogue of body art destined to vanish. Alongside a foreword by art historian Matt Lodder and an introductory essay by editor Alix Nyssen, the book features over 140 pages of photographs of vintage tattoos documented by Travis Salty, Jamie Jelinski, Alex Beaulac, Adam Pereira, and Elizabeth Maltais.Ripe is a testament to the delicate impermanence of tattooed skin and the enduring power of photography.
