Tattoos are commonly used among criminals to show gang membership and record the wearer's personal history—such as his or her skills, specialties, accomplishments and convictions. They are also used as a means of personal expression. Certain designs have developed recognized coded meanings. The code systems can be quite complex and because of the nature of what they encode, the tattoo designs are not widely recognized.
Model Juliana Paesthe (C) of Viradouro samba school participates in the annual carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, February 15, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
First graders attend a festive ceremony to mark the start of another school year in Slaviansk, September 1, 2014. September 1 marks the start of a new academic year for students in Ukraine. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
Lissy Elle is a Canadian photographer who creates mysterious and dreamy images through the use of props and photo manipulation. Full of woods, classic tales references, giant teacups and girls defying gravity, her work is both engaging and disturbing, it transports us to an oniric world, or is it a nightmare?