2021

The Irezumi is a Japanese tattoo that is traditionally associated with the Yakuza. Yakuza wives, unlike the men, remain outside the sphere of criminal activity, remaining in the passive emotionally and financially supportive role. Society has always viewed bodies as a symbol of fragility and frailty, especially when it comes to women. Although the woman in the painting is anonymous to both me and the viewer, 温泉 offers another point of view, where women are presented as a symbol of power.

To disclose something so private yet so powerful that women in the Yakuza must hide at all costs–and exposing it so that viewers may understand the Yakuza women just a little bit more.