At 22, Adam Curlykale was diagnosed with colon cancer.
He survived, but the treatment left his immune system weakened, caused several skin conditions and led to a partial loss of pigment. He felt so bad about his appearance that he fell into a deep depression. His first tattoo was a small phrase on his arm: “I am”. Many more followed, until nearly 90% of his body was covered in black ink, including his face and eyeballs. “Tattoos allowed me to rediscover myself”, he said.
In July 2018, at 32, he traveled from London to Guadalajara, Mexico. At Hospital Jardines, he underwent nullification surgery: his penis, testicles and nipples were removed. He identifies as a “nullo”, a term for people who do not feel the need to have genitals. On Instagram, he wrote that there was a lot of bleeding, but fortunately he did not need a transfusion.
Born in Kaliningrad, Russia, and raised in Poland, he says he was stoned for his appearance when he was young. Today, he wants to be accepted just as he is.
