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Art Enthusiast Buys Tattoo on Man's Back
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Steiner's Virgin Mary tattoo by Wim Delvoye.
Leave it to the Germans.
For the first time ever, an art collector has actually purchased a tattoo already inked into someone else's back. The artist is Wim Delvoye, who has gained notoriety in the past for his controversial tattooing of live pigs. The collector is one Rik Reinking, who paid a whopping 150,000 euros for the piece of skin art. And the back belongs to musician Tim Steiner, who calls the 30 hours it took to put the thing on him "the most awful experience of my life."
According to the Times, it all started it in the mind of Delvoye, who was inspired by a Roald Dahl story in which a tattooed man is murdered by an art dealer for his body art. Steiner was a willing participant in the one-of-a-kind experiment, and knew from the start that his back tattoo would become the property of someone else.
Delvoye had been trying to find a subject for his "breathing art" project for two years, until finally meeting up with Steiner, who was already an admirer. Steiner has no regrets thus far; in fact, he's been thrilled about the traveling he's gotten to do for his appearance at art shows in places like Shanghai.
Now, what the purchase literally means is that Steiner must exhibit his back at art shows for Reinking at least three times per year. When he does so, he stands with his back to the wall, and is allowed to take 40-minute breaks. On the more macabre side, it also means that Reinking or his heirs are entitled to remove the tattooed skin from Steiner's back when he dies, and keep it.
"I don't like to think about that just yet," Steiner told the Times.
If you're creeped out by this whole thing, then there's a word for you: normal.
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