Bequest

by Rowena Wiseman

Leonard wants to bequeath his tattooed skin to the National Gallery of Australia. He has been almost completely inked by one of Australia's best contemporary artists, but he is a canvas that nobody wants. Then, strange things start happening to Leonard: Darwin’s moth—a tattoo from his calf—flutters around him one night; he wakes with a Cold War gas mask on his head; Mao Zedong appears in his bed. Tattoos from his skin come alive before him and he becomes more convinced than ever that his skin is truly precious.

44 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Rowena Wiseman writes contemporary fiction, young adult, flash fiction and poetry. She is the author of My Human ATM, The Replacement Wife (HarperCollins ebook, 2015), Bequest (Tenebris Books, 2014) and Searching for Von Honningsbergs (longlisted for the 2007 Australian Vogel Award). Her poetry is published in Quadrant magazine, her short piece The Lolita Express was performed in the 2020 Voices of Women podcast series.

Rowena’s blog .outofprint, about writing and publishing in the digital revolution, has been archived by the National Library of Australia since 2012. She works in the arts sector and lives on the Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne, Australia.

Reviews

[Kate Cudahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rowena Wiseman's short story "Bequest" is proof that self-publishing sites such as Wattpad are now home to some of the most original and provocative creative writing around.

"Bequest" tells the story of Leonard, a retired history teacher, who spent an earlier period of his life as a living objet d'art, his skin serving the canvas for artist X's tattoos. The narrative follows the gradual disintegration of Leonard's sense of self as he wrestles with the fact that X has in fact exploited him and that the National Gallery of Australia is unwilling to accept the bequest of his tattooed body.

Leonard is a man who is left behind - swallowed up and spat out by the art world and by a changing society from which he is increasingly if unwittingly isolated. As his consciousness gradually unravels, the ink on Leonard's skin blends with his imagination to the point at which the boundaries between fantasy and reality become blurred.

Ms. Wiseman's sensitively narrated tale encompasses themes which range from attitudes towards aging and senility, the fads and superficiality of the art world, and social isolation. The prose is both fluid and elegant, a story which commands the reader's attention from the very beginning and gently eases in its profound and provocative message. Strongly recommended.

[Xian Xian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published partially on Wattpad, but I got it when it was on sale. And dang, I love that I occasionally find a good writer on Wattpad. This is a novella about a man who is a literal art exhibition who wants to be displayed in a museum. but the artist that created him doesn't want him anymore and considers him not part of her repertoire. The magical realism element occurs as the man begins to see hallucinations of the art inked haunting his house and his life, as if they too are yearning to be alive and displayed.

Wiseman writes a visceral tale about a dude covered in art and the desperation to leave a memorable mark on earth. I noticed this is a theme in another book of hers, where the main characters are concerned with art and who's going to see it and find it memorable or something like that. Well, that was just the first few pages, so there's more than that, but it was a topic discussed.

This is a type of story that if it dragged on for too long, it would be a total bore, so I'm glad that it was kept short and sweet.

I honestly recommend this if you want a short but filling read.

[David Thirteen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful and challenging short story. It follows the strange quest of Leonard to have his tattooed skin preserved in a museum. His entire body has been inked by an artist who as since gone on to great fame. What seems to be a macabre and narcissistic endeavor is slowly revealed to be more than a vain quest for immortality but a search for personal meaning and significance - to find value in a life that was not lived openly or to its potential. The story keeps a swift pace switching between scenes of his attempts to give away the art of his skin, which no one (not even the artist) seems to value, and surreal scenes of tattoos coming to life. The conclusion was unexpectedly touching and provided a poignant resolution that I will be thinking about for a long while.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In February, I had the good fortune to read an advanced-stage draft of this story and really liked it. (I didn't know anyone had entered info on it into GR, or I might have reviewed it earlier.)

Ms Wiseman has a good sense of art and artists. And she writes extremely well in that arena. I thought the story was kind of allegorical, as well. It has an interesting, heart-felt message about life, art, and legacies. This is the kind of modern story with depth that could be given to young people for a lively class discussion.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dark, twisted tale is told in poetic, seductive language. Leonard’s entire body, other than his face, has been tattooed by artist X. She has taken many years to turn Leonard into a walking, talking piece of art. Now Leonard wants to donate his body to the National Gallery of Australia after his death. He wants to have his skin preserved and saved as a national treasure.
The opening scene is set in a tony art gallery where the old-money patrons are connected ‘like electricity’. The characterizations of them are razor sharp with pinpoint accuracy. They are just the beginning of a story that combines shrewd observations and a cracking pace.
Leonard is just ‘a line in X’s bio.’ While he has always believed in her and her greatness, X sees Leonard as nothing more than an old canvas. Her art has evolved. She no longer does tattoos. He is the past she’d be happy to forget.
Leonard drinks too much and barely eats. His tattoos start to magically come to life, haunting him. This way be madness – where will it take Leonard?

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this in one sitting. The writing is dark and engaging, prompting me to keep turning pages (well, swiping the screen). It is a short story that combines character study and plot with a surreal twist, leaving me satisfied at the end. I didn't really like Leonard, but I empathised with him.

I was amazed to find out it was inspired by a true story of a man from Sydney who wanted to donate his heavily tattooed skin to the museum. In real life, the story turn out quite different to this one.

[P.J. O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bequest is short enough to read in one sitting, but packs a lot in one punch. It's lyrical, poignant, unusual, creative and - fortunately for my squeamishness - not at all as creepy as I feared it might be given the description. This is the second work that I've read by Rowena Wiseman and even though Bequest and Searching for Von Honningsbergs are different in subject matter and tone, both are extraordinary in their ability to set my imagination on fire. Perhaps because they both involve art, I end up seeing colors and images dancing around as I read. Somehow my emotions become a bit of a palette too, and before I know it, the writing has created its own art in blending a bit of wistfulness with sadness, contrasting it with awe and hope, and just a dab of distaste to give it a little underlying depth.

Stylistically, Bequest is perfect. Only my squeamishness about tattoos and skin keep me from giving this 5 stars; I'm afraid I'll suddenly start seeing other books thrown at me with those subjects!

[Tom Lichtenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story comes to life in the same way the tattoos on Leonard's body come to life, in vivid, hallucinatory passages. Leonard has had his entire body covered, the work of a famous artist, and wants nothing more than to leave his literal "body of work" to a museum, but nobody wants it, as nobody wants him either or to hear about the strange things that have started happening to him. The story also doubles as the story of an old man no longer valued by the very people he values most, the people to whom he is "connected like electricity". I loved how the form of the story is in itself a mirror of the story, its elements step out in turn just as the individual tattoos take the stage one by one. An excellent story, highly recommended.

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique novel!

[Marilla Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not going to lie, I'm very creeped out. I can read E.A. Poe no problem, but this was too much. Was it beautifully written? Yes. Was it meant for me? Absolutely not.