Some notes on my research topic:
I found a loads of helpful material for my background as well as arguments with which I can engage in through my research paper. However I struggled to find exhibits of my topic, as I have now realized, tattooing is an extremely niche practice in performance art. I was only able to identify two legitimizable performances which involve the practice of tattooing. And although both of these were extremely daring and interesting, and I am looking forward to exploring them through my research, I am afraid that my roster of sources is limited by the lack of variety.
However I think there are possibly ways in which I can turn this around in my favor. I did find some great stuff about the psychology of performance art, and the drives of the practice both in its origin and its actuality. There must be a reason why tattoos are not commonplace in performance art—I can state the obvious, their permanence is daunting for something as ephemeral as a performance, but then again: is performance art meant to be ephemeral?
My most interesting connection thus far is definitely this article I found on the documentation of performance art and how larger of a role it plays in the identity of the performance. Drawing back to my question about performance being ephemeral, I realized through this preliminary research that tattoos are a form of documenting a performance, I want to continue looking for exhibits with this angle in mind, as I feel there is a lot to explore here.