Hate crimes are violent expressions of prejudice—attacks not just on individuals, but on identities. Whether rooted in race, religion, gender, or sexuality, these acts are designed to instill fear, to erase, to silence. Among the most brutal forms is vitriolage, or acid attacks—deliberate attempts to disfigure, blind, and dehumanize. It is a symbolic and physical assault on one’s visibility and dignity, often targeting those who dare to exist outside of society’s imposed norms.
 
This tattoo captures that horror through a surrealist chain of eyes—each one spilling an ambiguous, corrosive substance. Rendered in stark black and white, the eyes seem to dissolve into one another, forming a continuous loop of violation and grief. The unknown liquid evokes acid not in its literal form, but in its destructive essence—what remains when hate eats away at the human spirit. The eyes, traditionally symbols of perception and awareness, here become haunting relics of what has been lost: the right to see, to witness, to exist without fear.
The chain motif speaks to the collective weight of these crimes—not isolated incidents, but a systemic pattern that binds victims across cultures and histories. It is both a memorial and a warning.
 
This piece is a visual protest—a reminder that hate, when left unchecked, corrodes the very fabric of our shared humanity. It calls on us not to look away. To protect the right to be seen, we must first see the violence for what it is—and confront it, together.