Tattoos tell stories. They hold various meanings for the people who get them to help them commemorate the things they hold dear. Tattoos serve as a form of self-expression, allowing individuals to showcase their personality, beliefs, and values. They are a way to communicate one’s identity to the world. They also memorialize significant life events, milestones, or personal achievements. They serve as permanent reminders of cherished moments, relationships, and experiences.
Artist Lindsay Ekstrom’s painting, Frida Sola, focuses on the significance of tattoos in telling one’s history. Here, they tell Frida’s history of passion and pain.
Tattoos can solidify the bond between individuals. Friends, family members, or partners might get matching or coordinating tattoos to signify their close relationships and shared experiences. For that reason, tattoos can be a symbol of love and commitment. In Frida Sola, Frida Kahlo wears her heart on her sleeve both in the form of a tattoo of the Three of Swords which comes in every tarot deck. This symbol is a reminder that pain, suffering, and loss are essential parts of life.
Additionally, Frida has her lifelong lover Diego Rivera’s name tattooed across her heart. While Diego and Frida loved passionately, his infidelity caused her immense pain. These tattoos are visual of the passion and pain of their long relationship and partnership.
Tattoos can also hold cultural or religious meaning and can be used to connect with one’s heritage, honor cultural traditions, or symbolize spiritual beliefs. That is why Frida’s arms feature paint tubes, significant phrases, and symbols. One among these is the stick of dynamite on Frida’s arm. Frida has been quoted as saying, “I am fragile not like a flower, fragile like a bomb.” This quote and the tattoo that represent it encapsulate Frida’s persona of passion and power in the face of a life filled with pain.
Some people get tattoos as a means of empowerment and healing. Tattoos represent personal growth, resilience, and the ability to overcome challenges. Because the act of getting and healing a tattoo is inherently painful, they become a symbol of strength and transformation. Tattoos transition from an awful wound into a beautiful work of body art. Similarly, Frida used her passion to overcome the significant pains of her life.
