Thing Gallery – Hands Down One of the Coolest Things I’ve Seen

THING GALLERY

give em a hand folks….

The world of tattoos is a rich and varied place where every now and then something brand new pops up and takes you by surprise. Maybe it is a completely new style of tattooing, or an advancement in technology and sometimes it is something so odd and unique that you take a moment to stare and say, “Damn, that is really cool.” Tattooed silicone hands presented by Thing Gallery is my most recent “Damn” moment. Have you seen them yet? Realistic casts of creator Fareed Kaviani’s hand tattooed by notable tattoo artists around the world. They are creepy, cool, odd, beautiful, surreal and utterly unique. Many bad puns come to mind but I will mostly restrain myself except tp say, you have to hand it to Fareed – Thing Gallery is hands down one of the coolest things around. (See what I did there? High Five!- also hand-related)

What began as idle curiosity took on a life of its own as Fareed embarked on an arduous process to learn silicone molding and then parlayed that hard-won knowledge into an opportunity to shine light on a serious social issue plaguing Australia (and the world).

From Thing Gallery biography;

Each silicone hand was individually molded from a unique cast of Fareed’s hand. With no prior knowledge of prosthetics or experience making molds or using silicone, the process was one of trial and a shit load of error. Initially, the idea was to make one hand and write a ‘how to’ piece for INKED magazine, however, after investing over 3 months researching materials, contacting professionals, and sitting through hours of YouTube tutorials, Fareed felt like an article would be a premature ending. Plus, he didn’t want to part with his newfound skills in silicone molding that easily.

So, naturally, he contacted over 30 international, national, and local tattooists asking if they were interested in tattooing a hand or sheet that we could sell to raise funds for two incredibly important organizations, Safesteps and WIRE. And you can’t exactly say no to that! Lo and behold, these artists refused to shy away from the challenge and instead dedicated their time and demonstrated their artistic talent to create a beautiful and curious array of tattooed extremities and sheets.

With support from INKED magazine, Things & Ink, Melbourne Permanent, Sailor Jerry, Protat (who donated $500 to the charities), Temple Brewery, Mulbury, Daseti, and Metal Couture, the event was a unique opportunity to view the work of many world-renowned artists such as Sasha Unisex, Grace Neutral, Guy Le Tatooer, and David Cote, including national talents such as Alvaro Flores, Matt Deverson, Lauren Winzer, and Mel Wink.

With the exhibition complete, Fareed decided to continue Thing Gallery by commissioning artists to tattoo hands for the public to purchase through the website (www.thinggallery.com). @thinggallery

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

So by now if you are like me you have some questions. Number one question? Where can I buy one of these things ASAP (www.thinggallery.com) But I had few other questions which Fareed graciously took the time to answer for me below – and he even threw in the unspoken BONUS question of what…exactly…could they mold and tattoo. I think I just figured out my entire holiday shopping list!

OK so hands – why hands? What gave you the idea to do this in the first place? Are your hands tattooed?

Well, my partner bought a tattoo machine to play around with as she’s an artist, and that got me thinking about surfaces other than skin one can tattoo onto. I remembered Amanda Wachob’s tattooed oranges so I was basically walking around the house touching things and wondering if ink would penetrate and show in various household items. To be honest I can’t remember why silicone but the idea progressed into writing a “how-to” article for Inked magazine on creating tattooable silicone moulds. I ended up spending around 4 months learning and perfecting silicone casting and moulding until I was finally able to produce something that was a discernible extremity.

I think I chose hands because they were the easiest body part to cast and mold, and there were a shit load of tutorials online, everything else was riddled with, at that stage of my skill set, unfathomable variables and complexities.

My hands are not tattooed, although several fingers are!

What made you decide to take your project and turn it into a charity event?

I spent so long learning the vagaries of silicone moulding that I didn’t want to part with my knowledge so quickly by writing a step-by-step guide. And I was actually really enjoying myself. I was continuously improving my moulds and making a bunch of hands. I started wondering what some of my favourite tattoo artists might create on the medium; here was an opportunity to see a tattoo by Apro-Lee or David Cotê on my hand without the need for travel or pain. So I sent out some emails and the responses I received were all positive. And it was for such a pertinent cause.

I’m not sure if you’re aware but Australia is currently going through the throes of a domestic violence epidemic. The statistics are appalling but I’ll leave it up to your readers to do their own research if it interests them. Anyho, as a consumer of liberal media I was hearing stories so frequently that it made sense to raise money for such an important social malady. I then chose two Melbourne based organisations, SafeSteps and WIRE, who were dedicated to providing ground support for women and children experiencing domestic violence.

How responsive was the tattoo community? Any surprises?

Well, the people I had contact with were all super supportive and enthusiastic about the project. Every tattooist I approached was keen to participate; the media all responded positively, especially Ness from Inked Australia.

Do you have a list of artists you would like to work with?

Yes, and it grows everyday! Keep an eye on our Instagram page for new artists @thinggallery as I’m patiently waiting for their responses!

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Any other body parts/new products coming?

Well, I’ve been mastering the art of face molds so you may see my silicone physiognomy on the website soon… Maybe a face on a plaque or something? Silicone is fun, and the possibilities are only restricted by skill, so behind each new project is a lot of trial and error, it just depends how much error (and cash) we’re willing to go through.

I have also done some ear molds. But I’m open to suggestions.

Do you do custom orders?

Yes! We can. I’ve been meaning to mention it on the website. We could make molds of a variety of things, including different body parts (yes, even genitalia!) or just random objects like toys etc. But yes, if anyone has ideas please feel free to email us at hello@thinggallery.com.

What is next for The Thing Gallery? Are you coming to the USA?

Next we’re making head molds. We’ve teamed up with Hannah Pixie Snow for the first head so hopefully that will be exhibiting in the gallery soon. Making the head mold was another 5 months of research and development but we finally got there! By ‘we’ I mean my partner and I, she has been selflessly helping with the research aspect of Thing Gallery from the beginning.

Well there you have it – the power of a dream, YouTube, shit loads of perseverance, creativity, chutzpah, and a willingness to reach out and help others. Let’s all give Fareed a big….you know what….for a great job. I’m SO excited to see what Thing gallery brings us next!

PS – extra high-five to whoever gets how insanely clever Thing Gallery’s name and logo are. Stumped? (I am literally killing myself here…) try this for a clue