Skin Beneath the Surface
Jiawei Li
The body serves as a medium of visual narrative, reflecting personal and cultural values beyond conscious expression. Body modification—including tattoos, piercings, and other forms of skin art—carries unique meanings shaped by historical, social, and ideological contexts. Skin Beneath the Surface explores the differences in perceptions of body modification between Eastern and Western cultures during a time of significant shifts in attitudes toward self-expression, rebellion, and identity.
In Western societies, body modification symbolizes counterculture, personal freedom, and resistance to traditional norms. In contrast, in Eastern cultures, it often holds spiritual significance, reflects religious beliefs, or carries social stigma. People from diverse backgrounds use body modification to reclaim agency, conform to societal expectations, or challenge cultural taboos. By analyzing motivations—whether rooted in rebellion, faith, or healing—this research reveals how body modification bridges self-identity and cultural belonging.
Skin Beneath the Surface examines the evolving perceptions of body modification, particularly within subcultural contexts. Viewing skin as a living archive of personal and collective history, it documents how individuals of different genders, ages, and professions experience life changes through body modification. Through the lens of design, this research materializes as a series of visual narratives—including printed publications and website design—that translate intimate stories and cultural observations into tangible artifacts. These mediums facilitate both personal storytelling and public discourse, reflecting the tension between tradition and modernity, conformity and self-expression, and highlighting body modification as both an act of defiance and a means of personal transformation.