Body art, and more precisely tattoo, has been present since centuries and served not only as decorative art but also as identification, branding and in some cultures had spiritual meaning,and also represented ranks of status.
Tattoo art is believed to be practiced as early as the Neolithic times in Eurasia and than spread out to the whole world. Different cultures had different believes and traditions, so the body art was used differently. A very good example of tattoos with cultural and sacred association are the Ta Moko tattoos, that are closely related to the Maori people from New Zealand. The designs of these tattoos represented their lives as these few lines are also telling us;
"I wear my pride upon my skin
my pride has always been within
I wear my strength upon my face
comes from another time and place
Bet you didn't know that every line has a message for me?
Did you know that?" (Awekotuku & Nikora, 149)
While the use of tattoos usually has a positive impact;for example, in some cultures is practiced to heal just like acupuncture,it's not always the case. These body sign can represent a group of people with same believes, just like the Nazi, or other criminal groups. These people use it as a sign to identify and to become part of the specific organization. Body art embraces a huge diversity of people, while it is celebrated as an art form by holding exhibition of painted bodies, prisoners also ink their skin to symbolize their criminal behavior.
Tattoo artists confess that half of the population has one or more tattoos, and some of them have it to represent beauty while others to create fear. Either way is a symbol, an art for expressing yourself.
In today's world, this form of art expanded in the medical field as well. In cosmetics use it as permanent makeup or changing skin tones in some areas.
I chose this topic because I believe there is a connection of some sort between the body art and graffiti. The artist introduced a new form of canvas, that of the human skin.

Te Awekotuku, Ngahuia , and Linda Waimarie Nikora. Mau Moko; The World of Maori Tattoo. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 2007. 148