From tattooing to photography, from the transformation of the body to that of the self: Celia presents a new exhibition in Sydney exploring the intimate relationship between tattoos, identity and personal transformation. Created together with photographer Tom Wilkinson, My Demons Live Within You Too brings together large-scale photographic prints, a book, 3D-printed sculptures and more. We spoke with Celia about the origins of the project, her approach to tattooing and the meaning behind the “demons” that accompany us.
Celia, hi! We met through the exhibition you’re opening soon in Sydney. Could you tell us a little bit about it? What will you be presenting?
Thank you so much for having me! For the past year, I’ve been putting together an exhibition of my work in collaboration with my dear friend and photographer Tom Wilkinson, titled My Demons Live Within You Too.
Accompanied by a book I’ve written, 3D-printed demons and much more, the exhibition will primarily feature large-scale prints of blurred-motion, ghostly images of a hand-selected group of my clients and their tattoos, exploring how the tattoos are expressed through and move with their bodies. My dream for this exhibition is to convey the power and strength of my clients and the work they endure during their sessions, while ultimately welcoming the public into the world I’ve built for one night.
What inspired the idea for this exhibition? What message do you want to convey?
The title of the show isn’t intended to have a negative connotation in any way, but rather to express how my own journey through life and tattooing has directly impacted my craft. There is a beauty in your demons. You can move through them, learn to exist with them and even learn to love them. My “demons” live on as pieces of artwork on other people, for the world to see. The idea for the exhibition was first sparked when I began photographing my clients at the end of their tattoo sessions.
Tattooing is a deeply transformative process, and there comes a moment when you witness a client become wholly themselves — more confident, more fully realised — before your very eyes. I remember taking a photograph of one particular client and simply gazing at it in awe after the session. She looked unreal, almost like a Renaissance painting. It was quite surreal, and I knew I had to pursue that feeling and make something bigger from it. It’s a kind of magic, and it’s something I’ve been trying to capture on a larger scale through an exhibition like this one.
I am grateful to be able to say that I feel I have a personal connection with most of my clients.
I’ve had the great honour not only of witnessing their physical transformation throughout the tattoo process, but also the emotional and overall transcendent shift that comes with a person becoming more wholly themselves.
It has been the utmost privilege to witness this time and time again. I hope to convey the sheer power of tattooing and the opportunity for transformation and self-realisation that it offers people from all walks of life. Ultimately, I hope the show can be a love letter to the craft and to all those whose paths I’ve crossed because of it.
Who did you collaborate with on this project, and where is the exhibition being hosted?
I’m working together with my beloved and incredibly gifted friend Tom Wilkinson, a skilled Sydney-based photographer. Tom has an extraordinary eye and a unique way of capturing not only the model themselves, but also the movement and emotion of a subject, making him the perfect person to collaborate with on this exhibition. The exhibition will be held at M2 Gallery in Surry Hills, NSW. The opening night will take place on 6 October, from 6 to 9 pm, and the exhibition will run through to 13 October.
Where do you currently work and live? Are the tattoos you wear in the same style as the ones you create?
I’m currently based in Sydney and work full-time, when I’m not on the road, at the wonderful Lighthouse Tattoo in Surry Hills. I generally collect many different types of blackwork and black-and-grey tattoos for myself. These days, I really go out of my way to curate my collection and seek out artists I want to be tattooed by.
How would you describe yourself as an artist, and what are the aspects of your work that you’re most interested in bringing out?
Multi-dimensional and multidisciplinary. I like to draw from all kinds of influences around me, from the book I’m reading to the view outside my train window.
I’m always greedily on the hunt for new inspiration to pour back into my craft.
That’s one of the reasons I’m always travelling as much as I do. I love freehanding and the way it challenges me to work on the spot, responding to a client’s body and natural flow, and allowing each piece to become uniquely its own. I love challenges and pushing new boundaries, and this exhibition has allowed me to do that in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Do you do guest spots around the world? Where are your clients mainly from?
I’m mainly based in Sydney, Australia, but I’m currently travelling frequently around the world for conventions and guest spots. I’ve just returned home from a stint in Europe and a tattoo convention in Amsterdam, and I’m heading to Thailand, Singapore and New Zealand next.
What do you hope this exhibition will communicate? What message would you like the public to take away from it?
I hope that those walking into the show leave with that same feeling of awe I experienced when looking back at that photograph of my client. Or, at the very least, I hope they leave with a new respect for the craft of tattooing and for how profoundly sacred and life-changing it can be in more ways than one. This is my love letter to the unwavering strength of my clients and to the craft that made all things possible for me and opened doors that were previously closed. I hope it touches you all.
