The Russian Criminal Tattoo Archive presents highlights from FUEL’s singular collection of authentic material on this subject. Previously unpublished in its original form, this work comprises ink on paper drawings by Danzig Baldaev, the photographic albums of Arkady Bronnikov and prisoner portraits by Sergei Vasiliev. The selection is contextualised with insights from Mark Vincent PhD (author and academic specialising in the Soviet Gulag) and Alison Nordström (photography scholar, writer and curator).

The meticulous depictions of tattoos by prison guard Danzig Baldaev are reproduced in facsimile, authenticated by his signature and stamp, alongside his handwritten notes on the reverse. The paper has yellowed with age, giving the exquisite drawings a visceral temporality – almost like skin.

Sergei Vasiliev’s photographs portray inmates in startling intimacy. He achieves a remarkable level of trust within the closed criminal society, a strict hierarchy, where outsiders are viewed with hostile suspicion.

Arkady Bronnikov’s collection of photographs are shown in the albums in which they were collected. Used exclusively to aid police in their investigations, they depict a motley line-up of assorted body parts.

This unique book is the only publication of primary material on this subject, highlighting the pioneering methods of these three individuals used to document this unique phenomenon.

256 Pages, Hardcover, 20.8 x 27.3 cm

MEGAMUNDEN, creator of the best-selling The Tattoo Coloring Book, takes coloring to the next level in this stunning collection of tattoo art.

More than 60 pages of elaborate flash sheets depict themes from ghost trains to Venice Beach, pinball to pin-ups, with all artwork drawn specially for the book.

Includes a full-color, pull-out gatefold, and two sticker sheets.A perfect gift book that will appeal to anyone who loves tattoo imagery, or is looking for inspiration for their next piece of body art.

Paperback, 80 illustrations, 84 pages, 254mm x 254mm.

From renowned photographer Martha Cooper, this is a book about the traditional art of tattooing and a rare portrait of a master artist.

It provides a unique glimpse into the world of traditional Japanese tattooing in Tokyo in 1970, and collects photographs capturing the Japanese art of Irezumi (often associated with the Yakuza, but also widely recognised for its cultural significance and artistry).

It follows the tattooist Horibun through his work, his customers and their tattoos.Martha Cooper came to Tokyo in 1969. She soon became interested in the local art of tattooing and began documenting the work of traditional Japanese tattooist Horibun I who worked with traditional Japanese methods, tattoos made by hand, with different sized bundles of needles bound to sticks which he dipped into coloured inks. His motifs were derived from traditional Japanese legends.

ISBN 9789189944046
Dokument Press
Paperback, 72 pages, 17 x 28 cm.

The art of the Japanese tattoo has fascinated people across the world for decades, but in Japan they are taboo since traditional full body tattoos are associated with the Japanese mafia – the Yakuza.

Few organisations are as feared as the legendary Yakuza. They have an impact well beyond Japan, in real life as well as in popular fiction.

Yakuza Tattoo offers a unique insight into the dragons, fish and gods that form the identity of the Yakuza. While the motifs are inspired by the structure of the organisation, Japanese history and mythology, younger members tend to add a contemporary touch to their body art. Andreas Johansson is an academic and one of a small number of persons that have been allowed to photograph and interview members of one of the world’s most secretive organisations.

Yakuza Tattoo includes detailed images of widely different Yakuza tattoos. At one stage, right in the middle of a gang war, Johansson frequented the shady nightclubs, bars, restaurants and back streets of Yokohama in the company of a Yakuza boss. He also visited the homes of members of the Yakuza, documenting Yakuza symbols and body art.

Andreas Johansson did what any first-rate photojournalist does – go into the field and immerse himself in the world of his subjects. Guided by the yakuza’s most famous symbol, the tattoo, Johansson offers a revelatory look inside the culture and mythology of Japan’s extraordinary underworld.

• ISBN 9789188369215

• Dokument Press

• Paperback, 112 pages. 17 x 21 cm