A short stroll up Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, reveals a veritable walking art gallery with flesh as medium. Hipsters sit on the stoops of brownstones or on the benches outside cafés and restaurants showing off their ink. Others whizz by on their fixed gear bicycles flashing heavily detailed designs on calves or messages on knuckles. In nearby McCarren Park, young women loll about on the grass in bikinis. Many show off full back pieces, chest pieces, or sleeves - sometimes all three. Their male friends have equally elaborate etchings on arms, legs and torso... This is Generation Ink, the generation of 20-somethings who regard tattoos as a form of self-expression and a memento of personal freedom. Photographed in Williamsburg by Paul Nathan, this collection of black and white studio portraits is an unsentimental snapshot of a moment in time. Featuring an essay by Nadine Rubin Nathan. AUTHOR: Paul Nathan was born in Auckland New Zealand. He has a degree in Art History and Art Theory from the University of Canterbury and has studied at Sotheby's in London and the International Centre for Photography (ICP) in New York. His editorial work has been published in books, magazines, and newspapers around the world. Nadine Rubin Nathan began her career as editor-in-chief of Elle South Africa. After relocating to New York in 2004, she contributed to Harper's Bazaar and was senior editor at Assouline Publishing. Her writing has also been published in The New York Times. She has an MA in arts and culture journalism from Columbia University. Paul and Nadine currently live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with their daughter Alexa Phoebe Nathan. SELLING POINTS: Beautifully designed and printed, yet affordable Unique - other tattoo books are focused on reportage of tattoos. This book is about youth culture and it raises the coverage of tattoos to a higher art. There is no other book like it in the market today Timely - Tattoos have long gone in and out of fashion, but today they are enjoying a major renaissance. They are so popular that even designers like Marc Jacobs have used tattoo designs on scarves and handbags for Louis Vuitton Very contemporary, tattoo artists have become celebrities (and very often they are tattooing celebrities) 55 b/w illustrations
