- This event has passed.
A Psychological Exploration of Tattoos and Graffiti
November 7, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm PST
This talk will explore the tattoo and graffiti writers’ art from a Jungian psychological perspective. It is the presenter’s hypothesis that the topics under investigation exemplify areas of life where the unconscious can be seen to manifest. Whether one enters the confines of a tattoo shop with its array of imagery on the wall, or walks down the back alleys of some city taking in the graffiti tags, throw-ups or wild style pieces left behind in the night by the graffiti writers’, it is the presenter’s impression that each topic has something to do with the depths of the human psyche, the collective unconscious, with its archetypal foundation. Images of tattoos and graffiti writers art will be presented for discussion and interpretation.
Related Workshop: A Conversation About Dreams
Brian Mayo, MSW, is a Senior Jungian Analyst based in Toronto. He studied at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland and has been a member of the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts since 1997. Brian is a founding member of the Analyst Training program in Toronto, Canada’s original internationally accredited training program for Jungian Analysts. Born and raised in a small town in southwestern Ontario, Brian spent much of his youth working on farms. Prior to training to become a Jungian Analyst, Brian obtained a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and gained extensive experience in outpatient and inpatient psychiatry. Brian’s specific focus regards Jungian psychology is exploring areas of life where the unconscious psyche manifests, e.g., comic books, graffiti writing, tattoos, psychopathology and dreams. Brian and Patricia Brannigan coauthored Skin Deep: Manifestations of the Unconscious in Everyday Life, published by Inner City Books. Brian now lives in Toronto and in his leisure time enjoys indoor rock climbing.
