Enigmatic Tattoos Imagine Beautiful Women Wearing Animal-Inspired Headpieces

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Tattooist and painter Edit Ben Gida takes a realistic approach to her art while infusing surrealist imagery into her enigmatic pieces. Working primarily as a tattoo artist, Edit’s most striking body art features women with animal-inspired headpieces—a theme that extends to her oil paintings.

In Edit’s works, her subjects wear bejeweled headcovers that have spider-like legs dangling from carapaces. Other headpieces are shaped like moths, wings and all, while bugs crawl on the face of another. Each tattoo is rendered with great care, creating a glowing ethereality of the faces, while the headdresses invite us to pause and consider them beyond their innate beauty.

This pause we take is part of Edit’s artistic vision. “Edit’s art explores the intricate interplay between beauty, cataloging, aging, preservation, and immortality,” states the artist’s website. “She invites viewers to question conventional aesthetics and contemplate the evolution of beauty, an ever-evolving dialogue with death and playing with matter.”

Edit’s interest in Egyptian culture greatly influences her art. Specifically, she’s interested in the juxtaposition of “glorifying beauty and the constant reminder of death and immortality” that is present in Egyptian art.

Edit is a multifaceted creative with online classes on how to master realistic tattoo art. To see what she's working on next, you can follow Edit Ben Gida on Instagram.

Tattooist Edit Ben Gida takes a realistic approach to her art while infusing surrealist imagery into her enigmatic pieces.

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Her most striking body art features women with animal-inspired headpieces.

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Each tattoo is rendered with great care, creating a glowing ethereality of the faces, while the headdresses invite us to pause and consider them beyond their innate beauty.

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

This pause we take is part of her artistic vision. “Edit’s art explores the intricate interplay between beauty, cataloging, aging, preservation, and immortality,” her website states.

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

In addition to her surreal tattoos of women, Edit creates art history-inspired designs.

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

Surreal Tattoos by Edit Ben Gida

She translates her imagery into oil paintings, too.

Painting by Edit Ben Gida

Painting by Edit Ben Gida

Painting by Edit Ben Gida

Painting by Edit Ben Gida

Painting by Edit Ben Gida

Edit Ben Gida: Website | Instagram | Online Classes

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Edit Ben Gida.

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Cheeky Pop Culture Tattoos Combine Beloved Fandoms With Fine Art

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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