Due to a longwinded work-related reason I’ve recently started closely following Kanye West’s online activity via his official website and blog. As he is a genuine internet enthusiast, Kanye’s posts can range from the sublime to the ridiculous, but a recent collection of Russian prison tattoo images really caught my interest.

I’ve always been fascinated with subcultural body modification, ie. piercing, tattooing, stretching, branding, etc. Once you view a process that is so personal and visceral on an individual level, then examine how/when/why it recurs on a cultural level it provides a raw and unfiltered insight into the hows why and wherefores of that society. Here’s a selection of images, click on any for Ye’s original post. Witness the many many many religious tableaux, the militaristic overtones (tattooed epaulettes, anyone?), the recurring lady lumps (including those used as HANDLES by an EAGLE!), and several cameos by Stalin & Lenin.