Design

Publisher: Silverlens
Photographer: Jake Verzosa
Book dimensions: 8.25 x 10 in
Year: 2014

Winner, Steidl Book Award Asia 2016

A photobook of portraits documenting the last generation of women from indigenous communities in Kalinga, northern Philippines, whose bodies are extensively adorned with traditional batok tattoos.

The portraits are printed on a semi-coated stock, giving it a slight sheen without the distracting glare of gloss, closer to the feel of the authentic gallery prints. The black-and-white images are rendered in a subtle duotone for a deeper tonal range. The spacious layout allows the reader to appreciate the portraits one at a time, contextual details placed discreetly on the facing page. The accompanying essays and visual glossary are printed on a gray-toned matte stock to differentiate. The cover is simple, dominated by an iconic image of the famed mambabatok Whang-ud, making the book itself an object worthy of display. The open-case binding and the raw board edges give a rough texture to the book, echoing the rugged beauty of the tattoo tradition's mountain environment. The exposed black thread recalls the soot-based ink that is embedded into the skin, the dark lines displayed proudly like one would a traditional tattoo.

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Official site: Jake Verzosa

Book photographs: Jake Verzosa