Ink Art & Intimacy is an ongoing collaborative project by photographer Dylan Collard and tattoo studio Aura Ninety Four. The project features photographic portraits of tattoo artists and their clients as it explores the intimacy, familiarity and closeness of their relationship.
Inspired by Richard Avedon's "American West" series and a love of Irving Penn's studio portraits, Dylan photographs the artists in a space that remains constant while the subjects and relationships change.
With 'intimacy' as its key theme, the project focuses on the relationship between sitters; as artist and client connect effortlessly with the ease of genuine friendship and a shared love of tattoo art.
The project avoids common tropes that present the tattoo world as a dark, gritty and grungy environment. Instead, Dylan's images present a lighter and more sensitive view of the very close, caring and supportive community that surrounds the Aura Ninety Four studio.
Supported and organised by Aura Ninety Four, Dylan has met and photographed 38 amazing artist/client pairings and is still shooting.
The aim is to produce a beautifully made, hardback, cloth bound, large format coffee table book of the project containing 40-50 images over 100-120 pages.
Printed and bound in the UK, this will be a limited first edition of 1000 copies, with the first 250 bought being signed and numbered by Dylan as well as tattooist Luke A Ashley and his Aura Ninety Four co-owner Annie Elizabeth.