Eli Ink, a body modification artist from Brighton, has tattooed his entire body black, including his eyeballs and mouth. He has also inserted huge stretchers in his nose and lower lips.
His body-modification is so striking that the Brit looks like the fictional Nightcrawler from Marvel's X-Men comics.
Eli said that he does not expect everyone to understand his transition and he is very content with the outcome. "I don't attempt to describe it to anyone," he was quoted as saying by Mail Online.
When asked about negative comments, he said, it generally comes from the older generation and is merely a state of mind, which he doesn't take much notice of anymore.
The 27-year-old artist said that he wanted to look like an abstract character in one of Picasso's paintings. "I love the abstract look, no thought, just pure expression," Ink said.
"I've always been blown away by art itself. Picasso is a huge childhood inspiration to me, especially abstract art, but I do like all forms of art. Body art was just the next logical step for me growing up," he added.
Eli has been tattooing his body for the last 10 years and now almost every inch of his body is covered with black ink. He was fascinated with tattoos since a very young age after he saw his uncle getting a huge tribal tattoo from Spain.
Eli, while dishing out more information about his eyeball tattoo, said that it is indeed a very risky one and can result in something disastrous.
"That's the risk you take letting anyone near your eyes, even trained surgeons can make mistake. Body modification is a risk taker's lifestyle," Eli was quoted as saying by the publication.
One of his biggest admirers is his girlfriend Holly, who is also a body modification enthusiast.
Eli, who now belongs to a subculture called the Modern Primitives, had a gardening company previously and experimented with drawing before moving into full-time tattooing.
Eli is studying earlobe reconstruction, tattooing, ear pointing and scarification and says the body- modification culture is dynamic and constantly growing.
"I will never be finished. It will take me the rest of my life to finish my studies but I am dedicating the rest of my life to body modification and perfecting my work," he said.
Check out some pictures below:
