Tattoografia. Analisi di un tatuaggio
Written by Omar Fassio, Manuella Crini, Madame Pagu, Riccardo Filimbaia
The art of tattooing dates back to the transition from Prehistory to History and is a fundamental part of human evolution. On an individual level, every child—once they learn to hold a pen—instinctively scribbles on their own hands: it seems there is something atavistic in the desire to draw on the skin. Tattooing therefore deserves greater attention from psychology, because the claim—common until just a few decades ago—that it is merely a symptom of restlessness, discomfort, or self-harm is now an outdated and superficial interpretation.
The hypothesis put forward in Tattoografia is that tattoos relate to the body in the same way dreams relate to the mind. For this reason, the curator analyzes them by uncovering the motivations, emotions, and desires of those who “wear” them, showing how each tattoo contains a story that, in order to be told, requires something beyond words.
The autors
Omar Fassio, born in Turin in 1976, is a psychologist, psychotherapist, PhD in Clinical and Interpersonal Psychology, and a psychoanalyst (Italian Psychoanalytic Society). He has served as adjunct professor at several Italian universities and is the author of dozens of national and international scientific articles.
In the literary field, he has published novels (Eve Editore, Astro Edizioni, and Golem Edizioni), a short story collection (Ogni amore è un primo amore, 2024, Golem Edizioni), and, together with Massimo Tallone, co-authors short essays in epistolary form titled Corrispondenze (Golem Edizioni). He is also a board member of the Order of Psychologists of Piedmont.
Fassio has coordinated three editions of writing courses for professionals belonging to the Orders of Physicians, Lawyers, and Psychologists of Turin and Piedmont.
Manuella Crini, Ph.D., born in Ovada (Piedmont), is a clinical and forensic psychologist with a private practice in Alessandria. She graduated in Psychology from the University of Turin, where she also earned a PhD in Human Sciences, and completed several advanced degrees, including in specific learning disorders, psychodiagnostics, and forensic technical consultancy.
She has collaborated with the Universities of Turin and Bergamo in teaching activities and has developed projects against bullying and for women’s self-defense. Her approach integrates mind, brain, and body, with a strong scientific and relational focus.
Crini is also active online, where she shares psychological reflections and outreach content. She collaborated with Dr. Omar Fassio on the writing of Tattoografia, driven by her personal passion for tattooed skin.
Madame Pagu, born in São Paulo (Brazil), is a visual artist, writer, and researcher. Since 2015 she has lived in Italy, where she has dedicated herself to artistic production that, through photography, the appropriation of objects and images, textile art, and new media, creates works deeply immersed in the feminine universe. Her research explores the connection between human relationships, the perception of time, and identity—conceptual and aesthetic references that shape her poetic practices and experiments.
She contributed to the writing of Tattoografia, bringing her distinctive sensitivity to the team.
Riccardo Filimbaia was born in Genoa in 1981, where he still lives. He graduated from the Faculty of Law in Genoa and obtained a Master’s degree in Legal Professions in Turin in 2013. A practicing lawyer since 2015, he worked both in-house and privately between Milan, Turin, Genoa, and Ovada. In 2017, he left the legal profession to attend the Comics School in Turin. In 2019, he began his career as a tattoo artist, working between Turin and Genoa.
He contributed to Tattoografia both as a subject of the book and as the author of the tattoos featured in it.
