Fürs Leben gezeichnet. Gefängnistätowierungen und ihre Träger: Scarred for Life. Prison Tattoos and their
wearers.
When you enter into prison, a lot changes: you lose your usual privacy, your living space is reduced to an
absolute minimum, you give up your own clothes, jewelry and other symbols of your status. Since ancient
times, the strategy of tattooing has established itself as a possible option for retaining signs of belonging to
certain circles, as a non-verbal communication tool.
Klaus Pichler set out to find and document the people who wore prison tattoos.
"In 2003, I met an elderly homeless man who had tattoos on his forearms—prison tattoos, he explained to
me. My interest in these skin signs was piqued and I started looking for people with prison tattoos and
photographing them.
Now, almost seven years later, I have photographed almost 150 tattooed people and had numerous
conversations with them. The results of engaging with this tradition now fill a book - 'Scarred for Life. Prison
tattoos and their wearers’. The book contains several approaches to the topic of prison tattooing - an essay
examines the historical roots and sociological background of this tradition, while photos and quotes offer an
insight into the world of prison tattooing. The focus is primarily on the heyday of prison tattooing from the
1950s to the 1980s. At that time, tattooing in prisons was considered a sign of belonging to the “underworld”.
Secret meanings, biographical details and personal preferences of the wearer were hidden behind the
symbols. By banning tattooing in prison, tattoos were seen as a visible act of rebellion and a sign of freedom
on a captive body.”
- Klaus Pichler
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Klaus Pichler (1977) is an Austrian photographer. After finishing his Landscape Architecture studies at the
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, he became a photographer.
He lives and works in Vienna.