No matter how mainstream having tattoos has become, there still remain some designs that give cause for pause, not just for viewers, but for tattoo artists themselves.

We explore the relationship between artist and client, and how sensitive and provocative designs are negotiated.... or even denied. Are some symbols in and of themselves inherently offensive, or is it the overall visual context or the client’s mindset that endows the nature of a particular tattoo’s meaning? Could these concerns be the reason for reticence among some tattoo artists to allow outsiders to probe their craft?

…. oh, and something puzzling is solved.