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Russian prison tattoo-themed plateware (NSFW)
10.31.2016
12:34 pm
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In Russian tattoos, the cat symbolizes a successful thief
 
It was just a couple of weeks ago that we brought you old-school ceramics with pictures of German nuclear power plants on them. There may be something of a trend happening here, for today our offering consists of similar ceramic plateware with astonishing illustrations derived from Russian prison tattoos.

Valeria Monis is the “multidisciplinary designer” who creates these amazing plates and vases, invariably in cobalt blue. Every object is handmade, so they are also quite individual; there is no mass production here. Monis was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and currently lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The title of Monis’ project is “From Russia With Love.” It combines “the subversive art of Russian criminal tattoos” and “traditional blue porcelain design,” bringing together “two opposed but equally important and influential strands of Russian art history.” As Monis writes of this Russian tradition, “In the criminal world, a man with no tattoos has no status. ... The illustrations they wear on their skin tells the story of their closed society, a society with its own hierarchy and social structure.”

While transmitting information to others about a person’s crimes and prison terms, the tattoos more fundamentally express a kind of folk understanding of sex, love, honor, sacrifice, and happiness. Many of the images are deeply misogynistic, bestowing warnings of the perils of “whores” and “bitches,” although others celebrate sex, orgasm, and the delights of “playing with your body.” 

Not all of the tattoos are bawdy or boastful or are intended to denote status. Some of the tattoos depict visions of failure or loss, while others are markers of connubial bliss.
 

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I, by Danzig Baldaev
 
Monis’ source material is FUEL Publishing’s remarkable series of Russian prison tattoo books by Danzig Baldaev.

These intriguing items are available for purchase. Small plates (roughly 6 inches in diameter) cost $95 or $99, large plates (11 inches) cost $120, and the vases cost between $250 and $300.
 

Vologda Transit Prison, 1950s
 

“Girls, find yourself a generous hand. You’ll be fed, dressed, and entertained, and you’ll play with your body….”
 
Many more of these marvelous ceramic items after the jump…....

READ ON
Posted by Martin Schneider
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10.31.2016
12:34 pm
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Be amazed at the amount of ‘booty’ one man hid up his ass
07.24.2014
09:09 am
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contrabooty1.jpg
 
There’s a possible game show here: call it something like What’s Up My Ass? in which contestants have to smuggle a selection of goods past a panel of celebrity prison officers. It’s like What’s My Line? except with discretely hidden contraband.

A potential contestant for such a show would certainly be 35-year-old André Silva de Jesus, who was arrested after attempting to smuggle a surprising number of items into a prison in Ribeirao das Neves, Greater Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

André Silva managed to secrete two mobile phones, two batteries, pliers, two drills, eight pieces of a hacksaw, five nails and three Sim cards up his anus. On arrival at the prison, the man presented guards with a medical certificate which claimed he had a pacemaker and was therefore exempt from passing through the facility’s x-ray machine. However, the guards became suspicious of André Silva’s “nervousness” and searched him. Military police were called in to “record the occurrence” but it is not known which inmate was to receive the smuggled contraband.

In an innuendo-laden statement, the Secretariat for Prison Administration said authorities had “opened an internal procedure to determine what happened.” Sounds painful.

As there is no news footage for this story (quelle surprise!), so here’s one that was put together earlier…
 

 
Via Arbroath

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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07.24.2014
09:09 am
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‘Prison Landscapes’ reveals the painted backdrops of commemorative prison portraits
03.12.2014
11:25 am
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Photographer Alyse Emdur’s affecting book of photography, Prison Landscapes explores one of the lesser known traditions of the U.S. correctional system—the commemorative prison portrait. Whether it’s the memento of a family visit or the celebration of an achievement like acquiring a GED, Emdur’s photographs evoke a lot of emotions. On the one hand, some of the subjects look legitimately happy, and small joys are the stuff of prison survival. On the other hand, the chintzy backdrops are reminiscent of aquarium decorations, complete with fake foliage and fantasy scenes.

Of course, U.S. prisons are notorious for their lack of transparency, so Emdur compiled her material from inmates and their loved ones themselves. She spent years collecting the pictures, corresponding with contacts to, in her own words, “document a system that I did not have physical access to.” Refusing to shy away from the political implications of her work, she explicitly deconstructs the facade of the backdrops, saying:

“Prison visiting room portraits are constructed to intentionally leave out the reality of prison. The aim of my project is not to be an authority on that which is left out, but to rather make the artifice visible. Although the paintings on the backdrops represent freedom, they are vehicles to control the representation of prisons and prisoners.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Via Beautiful Decay

Posted by Amber Frost
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03.12.2014
11:25 am
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