From his series Wai Khru Tattoo Festival. Traditionally, Thai tattoos are believed to be more than just a decorative art. Recipients believe that each tattoo carries protective properties and it is in search of these that people gather at the temple every spring. The rituals are a complex mix of Buddhist, Hindu, Brahman and Animist beliefs. Devotees come to pay their respects to their religious teachers and to receive tattoos that are created at the hands of these spiritual leaders. It is not only the application of the tattoo that has significance, it is the magical activation of the designs that believers seek. Once applied, the tattoo is believed to offer protection and in a country with an unpredictable political future, such protection is increasingly in demand.
Gavin Gough, photographer
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