Synopsis

The Illustrated Man is a large scale photographic series by New York based photographer and director Sophy Holland; featuring male tattooed celebrity and fashion icons from across America, the series captures the re-imagination of tattoos from the stereotypical associations of sailors and the criminal classes, into the celebration of mainstream pop culture, fashion trends, branding and social influence. Incepted in 2016 this fine art photography collection documents the many subjects' ultimate and often intimate illustrations of 'self' through ink, and chronicles the inexorable rise of the 'tattooed male' pin up, as fashion and tattoo culture converge for the first time in a mainstream increasingly fuelled by Generation Y.