Tattoo Life UK 2013-09-10

n° 84£ 3.95

Finland 9,00 €Benelux 7,00 €

Portugal 7,80 € cont.Norwegen 89,00 NOK

Slovakia 8,90 €

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DOMANTASPARVAINISTHE SUBTLE DETAILSOF DARK REALISTIC

HENNING JØRGENSENTHIRTY YEARSOF TATTOOART HISTORY AND TRADITIONS

CONVENTIONSVIVA LAS VEGASDETROITNAPLES

SI’Ì LIUFAUTHE RENAISSANCEOF POLYNESIANTATTOOING

THE 9th INTERNATIONAL LONDONTATTOOCONVENTION

PREVIEW

TATTOO ARTISTS

CHOSEN by

FOR TATTOO LOVERS

TattooArtistsTattooArtistsTA

TTOO

ART

ISTS

YEA

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UK & Ireland Yearbook 20142014--20132013

NEW!n°1

Cover-ann-UK-010 CORR.indd 1

16-09-2010 14:50:23

YEARBOOK 2013-2014 ON SALE AT YOUR NEWSSTAND IN SEPTEMBERWorldMags.netWorldMags.net

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I M a x T a t t o o i n g

Skin 2P R O F E S S I O N A LTATTOO MACHINE

Michele AgostiniTribal Tattoo Studio Roma - Italy

MADE IN

I t a l yw i t h S w i s sm o t o r

Dani MartosDemon Tattoo La Seu D'Urgell Spain

Matteo CascettiTattoo Artist Studio Fabriano - Italy

+390.541.642160www.imaxshop.com

I Max International SrlViale Emilia 41 - 47838 Riccione Italy

Tel. +390 541 642160 Fax +390 541 643542www.imaxshop.com [email protected]

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Photography: Christian SaintChristianSaintPhotography.com

Cover Model: Hattie Watson Hair & Makeup: Aly Smith

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Spy

Shopping

Music

New Sounds

Who’s who

VIVALAS VEGAS

Vanishing in merchandising

ARTISTIC CONTAMINATIONS

LIFE IN STYLE

FOSTER THE PEOPLE

By Susana Victoria

ECHOES FROM THE UNDERGROUND

Adrian Dominic

Apocalyptic mystical vision

Pin ups, vintage cars

and tattoos

By Susana Victoria

n°84F

or some time now we’ve watched how tattoo art has detached from the skin and is living a life of its own thanks to other forms of support. Sometimes it almost feels like the real tattoos, the ones on skin, have just

become an excuse to promote and sell various gadgets that sport tattoo images. It’s almost as if skin has become the living and involuntary testimonial of a raging flood of objects, which can push the essence of tattoo-art and its origins into the background. Let me start by saying that we have absolutely nothing against the spread and widespread diffusion of tattoo-merchandising, which is often one of the main ways people first learn about and appreciate tattoo art.That said, for us tattoo art continues to be an experience consisting of needles, skin, art, soul and purpose; the “physical” contact between the tattooist and the person getting the tattoo cannot be left out, because it is a spiritual – and not just recreational - representation. What looks good on a coffee cup or on a pair of shoes is not necessarily what looks best on the skin, which should come first before anything else, as far as we’re concerned. A person’s skin should never be put in second place, behind an object, because skin is not just one more medium; it has a vital and cognitive value which rises above and beyond. Certainly, we are in the forefront when it comes to appreciating and promoting high-quality contaminations between tattoo art and other artistic realities. But the bar must be held very high: we have to be sure that any given expression is the best way to fully appreciate the beauty of tattoo art, we need to become familiar with the various tattoo styles and appreciate their subtleties and differences, and we should never tire of discovering new, important artists. But in order to fully enjoy this beauty, it must remain precisely that: “the art of tattooing”, and not become “the art of merchandising”. True tattoo art cannot exist if it doesn’t start on the skin. On skin, which is just as unique and irreplaceable as our souls.

by Miki Vialetto

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HENNING JØRGENSEN

NAPLES

Cover girl

Calendar Girl 2014

PREVIEW

Culture

DOMANTAS PARVAINIS

DETROIT

Agenda

FLASHSAMUELE BRIGANTI

TATTOO COLLECTION

Book52

SI’Ì LIUFAU

76The 9th London Tattoo

Convention. What’s in store for

the most popular three-day event

The origins of tattooing in

Europe

By Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone

The renaissance of the

Polynesian style

By Horitaka

International appointments

with ink

Cleo Wattenström: interview with

the Tattoo Energy calendar girl 2014

Royal Tattoo celebrates thirty years!

By Miki Vialetto

A report from the convention

held in Italy’s legendary city

By Anna Rossi

Horror and fantasy from

Lithuania

By Stefania Perosin

18th Annual Motor City

Tattoo Expo

HATTIE WATSON

By Simone Sacco

Don Ed Hardy: Tattootime

The five-issue series of the

legendary magazine reprinted

in one single volume

Published by Mediafriends Srl Viale Papiniano 49 20123 Milano ITALYwww.tattoolife.com

Editorial DirectorMiki VialettoArt Direction & production Mediafriends Srl Viale Papiniano, 4920123 Milano Tel. +39 02 8322431Fax +39 02 [email protected] CoordinatorMiki [email protected] AssistantsMargherita BaleniStefania PerosinSimone [email protected] CoordinatorsCristina MariniGraphics DesignersLella VivaceMeera [email protected] editorial staffLuisa Gnecchi Ruscone, Debora Marcati, Richard Todd, Christian Saint, Anna Rossi, Susana Victoria e HotitakaStaff [email protected] Spa Via Rovera, 40 - Gavirate (Va), ItalyTel. +39 0332 549533

DistributionUKComag, West Drayton MiddlesexItalySO.DI.P. S.p.a. Via Bettola 18 20092 Cinisello Balsamo (Mi)GermanyDPV, Nordendstraße2 D-64546 Mörfelden-WalldorfFranceMLP - 55, Bd De La Noirée St. Quentin FallavierAustraliaNetwork Services 66-68 Goulburn Street, SydneyCanadaDisticor Magazine Distribution Services Ajax, Ontario, CanadaSpain & MexicoSGELAvenida Valdelaparra, 2928108 Alcobendas (Madrid)South AmericaHispamediaBarcelona, Spain

USA Edition published byFive Star Media IncPO BOX 1071Pacifica, CA 94044USA distributionCMG circulation services, Princeton, NJ

Brazil Edition published byEditora Amazonwww.grupoamazon.com.br

Tattoo Life is a bi-monthly magazine published by Mediafriends. All rights reserved. Even the partial reproduction of texts or images is forbidden without written authorization of the editor. The material sent to Mediafriends will not be returned. The material received can be used by Mediafriends for all their publications both for paper and digital. Any omission of authors’ names, texts, photos or designs solely depends on the fact that it was impossible to do so. Tattoo Life undertakes to comply with these duties.

Tattoo Life is available also in digital version:www.tattoolife.com/digitalversionWorldMags.netWorldMags.net

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TATTOOSPY

WEAR YOUR DREAMSWEAR YOUR DREAMS – MY LIFE IN TATTOOS

ED HARDY with JOEL SELVINThomas Dunne Books

LE REGARD DU DRAGONROLF KESSELRING b&w illustrations

Editions Kappa

Le Regard du dragon

TATTOO SHOWCASE

TATTOO SHOWCASE INSPIRATIONAL DESIGNS FROM THE WORLD’S LEADING TATTOO ARTISTSEdited by Lal Hardy

THAI MAGIC TATTOOS

THAI MAGIC TATTOOSTHE ART AND INFLUENCE OF SAK YANT ISABEL AZEVEDO DROUYER PHOTOGRAPHY: RENÉ DROUYER

RIVER BOOKS

When he was 10 years old, Ed Hardy was literally swept off his feet by tattoos and over time, he

was able to transform his fascination into a successful career. He spent his teenage years in

California, got a degree from the San Francisco Art Institute, and in the 60s became a pioneer

of an art form which at the time was considered “minor”. In just a short time he became an

icon in the tattoo world, with a fortunate brand that stamped his designs onto every kind of

imaginable object: t-shirts, perfumes, and even energy drinks. His incredible and fascinating

life comes alive in this book, which was written together with Joel Selvin, and includes his early

beginnings as a tattooist all the way through to the creation of a real empire.

All the stories in this book have one common denominator: tattoos.

These fantasy tales are a bit unsettling, ironic, and their dark

accents recall fascinating and bizarre imaginary worlds. The author

challenges readers with a little game, in which they have to recognize

the protagonists. In fact, hidden in these pages are Filip Leu, Tin

Tin, Mao and many others. All you have to do is recognize their

names which are only slightly disguised, and follow their imaginary

adventures. The book contains illustrations created by important

artists like Titine Leu, Blaise and Wido de Marval.

Edited by Lal Hardy, the owner of the legendary New Wave Tattoo in

London, Tattoo Showcase is organized according to subjects: animals,

famous people, tribal and horror designs, dragons and cartoons. This

book, containing over 600 color photos of tattoos in a variety of styles

and created by the finest artists in the world, is a precious resource

for tattooists and fans alike. Tattoo artists highlighted in this volume

include Joe Capobianco, Tim Hendricks, Bob Tyrrell, Hanna Aitchinson

and many more.

Sak-Yant is a form of

sacred tattoo which is

widespread in Southeast

Asia, particularly in Laos,

Burma, Cambodia and

Thailand. This book is based

on an important, 3-year

study carried out by the

authors in the field, and

provides readers with an

invaluable photo report,

notes and interviews

with masters of this art.

This volume provides

an in-depth look at the

world of sacred tattoo and

illustrates one of the last

examples of this authentic

and traditional art.


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TATTOOSPY

TATTOOS TENTACLESPHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIAN MURRAY

WWW.JULIANMURRAYPHOTO.COM

WWW.TATTOOSANDTENTACLES.COM

Tattoos TENTACLES

An App For Tattoo Artists

ITATTOOL by Red Lion Ltd

Facebook: iTattool

CHAGALL MODERN MASTER

UNTIL OCTOBER 5th

TATE LIVERPOOL

ALBERT DOCK

LIVERPOOL, UK

WWW.TATE.ORG.UK

[email protected]

AMERICAN MODERN: Hopper to O’Keeffe

UNTIL JANUARY 27th 2014

MOMA

11 W 53RD ST

NY (USA)

WWW.MOMA.ORG

The world of tattoo art

meets the soft, fascinating

and mysterious body of a

sea creature with tentacles

in this photographic

collection. Julian Murray

has immortalized the faces

and bodies of lovely women

and many tattoo collectors

in over 100 breathtaking

shots, which all share the

unnerving and yet striking

presence of animals’

entwining tentacles.

iTattool is the first application created and developed specifically

for tattooists. With this app you can: manage clients by creating

an easily accessible database, including photos and contact

information; check rates, by activating a kind of taxi meter which

calculates the amount of time a tattooist uses to create his or her

work; organize, print and re-elaborate

images. All the tricks of the trade are

registered in the Dashboard section,

which can be shared with other tattooists.

Available at the AppStore for just 3 dollars.

It opened in June, but can be visited until October 5th. We’re talking

about the show dedicated to Marc Chagall, one of the greatest artists

of the past century. Held at the Tate Liverpool, you can admire more

than seventy paintings and a selection of works on paper which hail

from all over the world. Chagall: Modern Master is one of the most

complete shows dedicated to the Russian artist in the UK over the

past 15 years, and explores all

of the topics that were most

dear to this artist’s heart.

Starting August 17th, American Modern goes onstage at New York’s MoMA.

This show explores American art from 1915 to 1950 and takes a critical

look at the fast changes which occurred in U.S. society during the first half

of the twentieth century. The show achieves this aim by using some of the

museum’s most important masterpieces – paintings, drawings, prints, and

photographs – of artists

such as: George Bellows,

Stuart Davis, Edward

Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe,

Charles Sheeler, Alfred

Stieglitz, Andrew Wyeth and

many more.


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SHOPPING

BLACK13BRAND.COM

WWW.AKUMUINK.COM

Extreme Nerd Lifestyle

THINKGEEK.COM

FACEBOOK: TIM SHUMATE ILLUSTRATIONS

WWW.ARTOFWHERE.COM

Of all the smartphone covers that exist on the market, there had

to be some depicting tattoo subjects and designs: that’s precisely

what is proposed by Black 13 Brand, a brand of the Black 13

Tattoo Parlor. This studio has decided to decorate its clients

not only with tattoos, but also with original and unique t-shirts

and gadgets.

Aldora and Joey have transformed their hobby into a career and

since 2008 they’ve been selling their hand-painted t-shirts online.

In Japanese, ‘Akumu’ means nightmare: this brand and all of its

creations are inspired by Japanese horror films and all the fun pop

icons which come from Japan. Other influences include fairytales like

Alice in Wonderland, and Tim Burton films like Edward Scissorhands.

They’ll ship anywhere!

The Batman or Star Wars bathrobes, the USB keys shaped like

Superman or Wonder Woman, the lens-shaped cup and the

backpack decorated like a Nintendo joystick...fans of cinema,

games and TV series will find everything they’ve always

dreamed of on: thinkgeek.com

Tim Shumate is a 29 year-old, Chicago-based artist who

works in design and illustrations. His pillows have become

a must-have for tattoo lovers…you just might sleep better

if you lay your head on the delicious body of a fairytale heroine…

in version pin-up!

Pin-ups on pillows

OUR TIPS FOR THIS NUMBER’S SHOPPING ARE PARTICULARLY AMUSING: THERE ARE SOME PRECIOUS GEMS TO WEAR LIKE HAND

PAINTED SILK SCARVES, HOME FURNISHINGS WHICH WILL MAKE YOU SMILE LIKE BIBIB’S STUFFED ANIMAL HUNTING TROPHIES,

IPHONE COVERS DECORATED BY THE BLACK 13 TATTOO PARLOR AND MINE’S TATTOOED TEDDY BEARS. YOU’LL ALSO DISCOVER

NIGHTMARISH T-SHIRTS PAINTED BY ALDORA AND JOEY, THE LOST APOSTLE’S ROCK AND ROLL JEWELRY, TIM SHUMATE’S SOFT

PILLOWS SPORTING PIN-UPS AND, FINALLY, THINKGEEK.COM - A MUST-SEE WEBSITE FOR TRUE NERDS. LOVERS OF TATTOOS,

FASHION AND ONLINE SHOPPING…HAVE FUN!


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SHOPPING

WWW.MI-NE.IT

WWW.DREAMLUXE.COM

WWW.LOSTAPOSTLE.ETSY.COMWWW.BIBIB.NL

Teddy bears are an all-time

favorite toy, loved and cuddled

by children all over the world,

and collector items for adults.

Teddy bears meet tattoos

for the first time – thanks to

this Italian project. The Mine

bears are unique pieces made

from cotton, eco-friendly

leather and viscose, stuffed

with cotton and carefully

hand stitched and painted

with acrylics and watercolors.

Each piece is handmade

and recalls the iconographic

history of modern body art,

starting with the 50s and

moving through to today.

Each owner can decide how

to decorate their Teddy: you

choose the color, material,

tattoo and piercing you want,

or you can choose from their

one-of-a-kind pieces.

Sugar skulls, Maneki-neko, sparrows and roses in traditional

style, as well as other subjects, are hand painted onto lovely silk

scarves and headscarves by an American artist who skillfully

and whimsically paints memories of her trips onto precious

accessories to wear. For those who don’t give up on their passions

and want to wear them with style.

If you’re looking for unique, original, handmade objects, don’t let the Lost

Apostle’s bronze jewelry get away! For him and for her, for the young and

the less young, for tattoo fans and rock and roll lovers: check out this

collection offering earrings, pendants, bracelets and rings which can be

personalized. Everything is designed and created by James and Nadya.

Bibib’s idea is simply fantastic! If you prefer

animals alive rather than dead, but you

still want a trophy to display in your home,

then here’s the solution for you: top-

quality stuffed animals resembling deer,

rhinoceroses, tigers and mouflon sheep to

decorate the walls of your home and make

you smile every time you pass by them.

Hunting trophies...stuffed-animal style

Teddy-bear for adults


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MUSIC

14

INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS BY: SUSANA VICTORIA, VESTIGE PHOTOGRAPHY PRESS PHOTO E ALBUM ART BY: SONY RECORDSASSISTANT: KAHLEY KEEFER

THANKS SO MUCH FOR

BEING WITH US TODAY,

MARK. CAN YOU TELL US

WHAT HAS INFLUENCED

YOU IN CHOOSING YOUR

TATTOOS?

For me, tattoos are a

reflection of yourself,

your style, and what

you like. It’s that

freedom of self-expression that I like. All my

tattoos are pretty random, and they don’t

really have anything to do with music. I only

planned one of my tattoos, and the rest I had

done on a whim at tattoo parties thrown once

or twice a month by my good friend’s brother.

A lot of my tattoos are text; I love them to

look like stamps. But the most meaningful one

is on my ribs - it’s an apple with ears. I used

to call my grandma ‘Granny Smith’ (her last

name was Smith), like the apple variety. As a

kid I remember asking her to wiggle her ears,

and since one’s ears never stop growing, she

had huge ears. I was shocked by the

way she wiggled them, and asked

her to teach me how to do it. She

said that I had to eat Granny Smith

apples, and that if I ate enough

of them I would eventually be able

to wiggle my ears too! That memory

is so vivid in my mind. She was

a pretty heroic woman in our family,

so getting that tattoo was a special

tribute to her.

HAVE YOU EVER RUN INTO PEOPLE WHO

HAVE ‘FOSTER THE PEOPLE’ TATTOOS?

It’s pretty awesome, because it

happens quite often. Usually I’ll see

either a lyric or artwork. Our artwork

is kind of tattooesque, and as tattoos

they turn out pretty cool. I’ve liked a

lot of them, even though it’s a little

weird when someone comes up to

me and says, “check out my tattoo!”

FROM COAST TO COAST IN THE USA, IN AUSTRALIA AND

JAPAN AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA AND

EUROPE, FOSTER THE PEOPLE HAS TAKEN THE WORLD

BY STORM IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. YOU

MIGHT RECOGNIZE THEM BY THEIR INSANELY POPULAR

SONG, “PUMPED UP KICKS” AND BY THE CRAZY LOOK

IN FRONT-MAN MARK FOSTER’S EYES, BUT THERE’S SO

MUCH MORE TO COME, AS DRUMMER MARK PONTIUS

TELLS US. MARK’S INTEREST IN LYRIC AND SYMBOLISM

ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN WHAT HE’S CHOSEN AS BODY ART,

AND ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T SHARE THE MEANING BEHIND

THE AMBIGUOUS “FREE MAGO” TATTOO ON HIS ARM, HE

DID TELL US ABOUT HIS DEEP RESPECT FOR JAMES BROWN

AND HIS GRANDMOTHER.

SO STAY TUNED TO THIS ELECTRONIC-INFUSED DANCE

ROCK, AND CHECK THEM OUT THE NEXT TIME THEY HIT

YOUR CITY.


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and I think, “wow, that’s our band!” It’s an

amazing feeling.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN THE

STUDIO OR ON TOUR?

I surf a lot, and shape boards. We’ve linked up

with a great place down in San Diego named

Shaper Studios. We’ve been focusing a lot on

making our own boards and getting into the

craftsmanship of it. During my time off from

work, I read a lot. I just got two dogs, so I’ve

been reading a book by Cesar Milan on how to

train your own dog.

WHAT IS THE BEST SHOW YOU’VE EVER PLAYED?

A bat mitzvah we played back in December. It

was our first and, probably last, bat mitzvah.

But jokes aside…South America’s hunger for new

music was so evident. The energy was so strong

there. We were down there for a month touring…

Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. We had fun during

every show there.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR?

Personally, being on Saturday Night Live has

been the best achievement so far. It seems

kind of small in the grand scheme of everything

else that has happened to our band, but it’s

not music-based, like the Grammy Awards. It’s

a great mix of comedy, acting, and all that.

Just being amongst people who aren’t in your

industry and being accepted by them was

amazing. We only rehearsed for one day and

then the day after we did the show, but during

those two days we got to know everyone, and

they accepted us into their family. We had Kenny

G as our guest. We had called him up a month

before to set it up, but a Kenny G revival was

something we’d been talking about for a year

and had mentioned during interviews. But then

Katy Perry stole the idea from us.

WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO THE MOST, MUSICALLY

SPEAKING?

James Brown. Just the way he controlled the

music and his band, along with the energy and

the vibe of performing live - no one’s ever done

it that way. If any of his band members ever

messed up, James Brown would turn around and

point at him during the show, and afterwards

that person would have to pay a fine. His band

was always so in line, because nobody wanted

to pay a fine! Just running that tight of a ship

is an awesome thing; he made some amazing

music because of that.

YOU WERE IN A KIND OF SOUL BAND BEFORE

FOSTER THE PEOPLE, RIGHT?

I was in a hip hop band that was kind of soulful,

with some funk elements. A lot of my favorite

drummers, such as James Gadson, and the old

funk drummers, have really influenced me.

IN TERMS OF MUSIC, WHAT DIRECTION WILL YOUR

NEXT ALBUM TAKE?

We’re not quite sure; we’re still fleshing out

some ideas. We want to take a new direction,

while maintaining some similarities with the

old record. We don’t want to make another

“Pumped Up Kicks”; we’re always trying to push

beyond boundaries with our music.


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A.A.V.V. ‘The Amazing World Of Prog’(Immaginifica/Aereostella)

BLACK SABBATH‘13’(Vertigo/ Universal)

KITTY IN A CASKET‘Bittersweet’(Better Than Hell Records)

DOPE D.O.D.‘Da Roach’(3S/ Rough Trade)

NEWSOUNDS

BY SIMONE SACCO

Do you adore the one and only

Progressive D’Antan? Then you’ve

got to go out right now and get

‘The Amazing World Of Prog’,

a truly interesting collection of

recording gems which is perfect

for fans of this timeless music,

which first took hold in Europe

and then went off to conquer

the rest of the world. Divided

into two CDs recorded live at the

famous festival Prog Exhibition

in Rome, this album offers a legendary and outstanding duo - ‘Bourèe’

- between PFM and Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. And then there’s Steve

Hackett (ex Genesis) who joins hands with New Goblin in its famous

‘Watcher of the Skyes’ and Balletto Di Bronzo, who is accompanied on

this album by Richard Sinclair, the bass player and vocals for Caravan/

Camel. Mel Collins (past band member of King Crimson) offers an

intriguing performance with his elegant sax in Arti & Mestieri style in the

tune ‘Valzer per Domani’, while Martin Barre reinterprets ‘Aqualung’ with

Biglietto Per L’Inferno.Folk. A grand total of 19 creatively joyous tunes.

Tunes which manage to be joyous – also, and especially - in 2013.

The birth of this album has been

complicated (in the true sense

of the word) for the legendary

Black Sabbath. Complicated due

to a series of reasons that are

well-known: producer Rick Rubin

has been announcing it for over

a decade, Ozzy had set it aside

so that he could concentrate on

his solo career (with amazing

results), Bill Ward plays the

part of the loudly missing

member (even if Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine puts his soul into

hammering those drums) and, last but not least, ‘13’ coincided with Tony

Iommi’s serious illness, which slowed down its release even more. So -

are we ready to ring the death toll? No way. Rock always triumphs when it

exists in the DNA of whoever is playing it. The Sabs prefer to inhabit their

own dimension, so that the platter seems to have been produced in 1971,

max, with everything from proto-metal, vicious blues and a few hints at

the progressive to come. The tunes – just eight in the standard edition

– roll out magnificently and ‘End of the Beginning’, ‘God is Dead’ (which

comes close to nine minutes!), ‘Damaged Soul’ and the suffocating ‘Loner’

sound like pure magic. Ok, if this is the last work of the three from

Birmingham then there could be no better ending. But it’s been pretty

scary waiting to listen to it…

Just where is contemporary

hip hop headed? Well, that’s a

million euro question given that,

for some time now, YouTube

and various social networks

have been unleashing a wave of

pseudo-creativity which absorbs

everything - but not always with

satisfying results. Maybe there’s

a lack of real crews, along with

ideas or a focus on a project…

so that’s why we can do nothing

but rejoice over the return of the Dutch Dope D.O.D. (friends of Korn and

Limp Bizkit who often took them on tour) and their horror-rap made

even more agonizing in this, their second work, entitled ‘Da Roach’. The

cover is fantastic, the group is proudly and closely knit (while the type of

music has nothing to do with it, they seem a little like Cypress Hill of the

third millennium in terms of their mentality), and the album’s length is

substantial (it’s a double album with 18 tracks), representing a top-quality

study in foundations and flow. And then there are a couple of splendid

feature guests (Kool Keith in ‘Brainworms’ and new-guy-on-the-block

Redman in the explosive ‘Groove’) which show us that tonight, rap and

rhymes can easily go to bed together…to dream of post-atomic nightmares

and a buzz that will break the speakers…

The “kitty” has grown up. That’s

the first impression you get when

you listen to the third album of

Kitty in a Casket, an explosive

psychobilly group originally from

Austria, who is ready to hit the

States soon. The band (guided by

the original team of vocalist Kitty

Casket, guitarist Billy Batt and

drummer Mike Machine) has put

out its third album and, thanks

to a mix of iron, has produced a

work which is strong because of its variety. Bass player Tom Mooner (who

joined the group just one year ago, but has the experience of a veteran)

certainly pushes the limit and makes fans of this style happy, but the

songwriting has become stronger (‘In Blood We Trust’), more varied (the

nighttime atmosphere which envelopes ‘Kreepsville’), suavely native

(what a great idea to sing two tracks in German - ‘Die Geister Die Ich Rief’

and ‘Bis Der Worhang Fallt’) and even funny (‘The Cheesy Song’ could

have been on any Californian emo-punk album at the end of the 90s). In

short, this album is mature. With a maturity whose nails are still well-

sharpened so that they can scratch at the right moment!


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THE PROPHETOF THE APOCALYPSE

www.adriandominic.com

WHO 'S WHO

TATTOOIST AND PAINTER WITH A CHICANO HERITAGE, AND A SIGNIFICANT BACKGROUND IN GRAFFITI, ADRIAN DOMINIC HAS

CHARACTERIZED HIS LIFE WITH AN ALL-PERVASIVE APPROACH TO ARTISTIC RESEARCH. HIS EVOLUTION DOESN’T SIMPLY

HAVE TO DO WITH EXPERIMENTATION AND IMPROVING HIS TECHNIQUE, BUT INVOLVES A COMPELLING AND SPIRITUAL

PATH…AND THE IMAGES HE CREATES REVEAL THE INDELIBLE TRACKS OF THIS PATH. WE INTERVIEWED HIM ABOUT HIS

PROJECT - APOKALUPSIS – A SERIES OF PAINTINGS INSPIRED BY A BOOK FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND WE DISCOVERED

THAT DOMINIC HAS A TRULY CHARISMATIC PERSONALITY AND VERY UNIQUE TALENT.

WHEN DID

YOUR

ARTISTIC

CAREER

BEGIN?

I was 15,

and a few

years after

I started

making

graffiti I started to do so seriously. I

was very blue collar about my approach

to graffiti, and me and my crew were

very disciplined and behaved like our

graffiti was work that needed to be

done. This attitude helped us maintain

a standard in what we were doing as

writers. Of course, I wasn’t getting paid

to do it, but that work ethic had been

established before I even began art

commercially.

COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT

APOKALUPSIS - A CONTEMPORARY VIEW

FROM THE REVELATION OF JOHN THE

DIVINE, WHICH WAS RECENTLY PRESENTED

AT THE SACRED GALLERY OF NEW YORK,

AMONG OTHERS?

“Apokalupsis” is a series of paintings.

I just finished illustrating a few

characters from the Book of Revelation

at the end of the New Testament. It

describes the revelation John had

when he was exiled to the island of

Patmos by the emperor, because he

had followed Christ. While there, he

was inspired to write a coded message

in the form of a very elaborate and

engaging story with a cast of many

characters. I chose some of these

characters. The choices I made about

perspective and the placement of

characters in the composition were

made because I wanted viewers to

relate to them in an immediate way.

I tried to make it so that the frame

and the wall were the only things

that separated viewers from another

reality. It’s been by far not only the

most ambitious project story-wise that

I’ve ever done, but also the first time

I’ve ever achieved a series of such

large paintings. I did this so that the

paintings would have a presence that is

foreboding and a reverence that cannot

be ignored.


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WHAT ARE YOU AIMING FOR IN YOUR

INTERPRETATION OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS WHICH

ARE SO DEEPLY ENTRENCHED IN OUR COLLECTIVE

IMAGINATION?

What I’m aiming for is very complex, but

very simple at its core, I suppose. I want to

inspire positive interactions. I want to inspire

love. I want to bring glory to God. It’s kind

of always been this way, but I’ve always been

much more cryptic about it in my art. In this

series I was more direct in referencing actual

biblical text, and tried to stay faithful to those

descriptions. I put a lot of faith into the

idea that these particular images, the ones

I was about to work on for nearly 2 years,

were somehow more potent than anything

I could make on my own. I always prayed

before painting, and sometimes prayed while

I worked. I don’t feel I was worthy enough to

try and illustrate what I consider to be the

strongest symbolic characters or scenarios in

this book. And even with the choices I did

make, I was only mildly satisfied with the

results. I think I could do much better. But

I also think that, regardless of the technical

flaws, people were able to relate to the

characters because, somehow, they’d seen

them before.

WHAT KIND OF REFLECTIONS LED YOU TO

UNDERTAKE THIS KIND OF ANALYSIS AND HOW

DID YOU CARRY OUT YOUR RESEARCH ON THESE

SACRED TOPICS?

There are many reflections that I have, regarding

my faith and my behavior. My closest friends

know how important my spiritual “journey” is

to me. It has an impact on almost all of my

actions. I want to be the best person that I can,

and I reflect on past mistakes, some of which

I’ve repeated many times. I often thought of

quitting while I was doing this series because

I was painting with a method I wasn’t familiar

with. I couldn’t handle it on my own. A lot

happened during that time. I was dealing with a

ton of family issues, health concerns, financial

strife, the end of a long-term relationship, and

I even had to move to another state two weeks

before my show in New York. I saw these

situations as tests, hurdles, and challenges

which gave me the chance to prove how much

I wanted to create these images. Faith is a big

deal to me. So I prayed a lot, asking for the

strength and wisdom to get this work done. I

read the Bible and studied a ton of old master

works. I looked at how some of the characters

had been illustrated before, and what symbols

were supposed to be where. I thought that

staying faithful to the biblical interpretations of

the images would be a testament, even just to

myself, of the reverence I have for the idea and

mystery of faith. And while a lot got in my way,

the winds still pushed me to complete these

images. It has been quite a ride.

WHAT RELATIONSHIP DO YOU HAVE WITH RELIGION

AND WITH SACRED ICONOGRAPHY?

I am Christian, in the rawest form of the word. I

subscribe to the teachings and example of

Jesus Christ. I’ve always had the faith, but

my faith has interfered with my relationship

with the church. I stopped going when I was

12. Recently I returned, with new perspectives,

and I don’t intend to let my negative emotions

towards certain acts of man ever interfere

with my choice again. I don’t go to church

every Sunday, sometimes I don’t go for a

while. But the word of God itself has always

played a role in my life, especially in my art. I

paint dark images, but that doesn’t mean that

they aren’t images of reverence and spiritual

perseverance. In fact, I feel peaceful when I

make them.

HOW MUCH HAVE YOUR CHICANO ORIGINS

INFLUENCED YOU?


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I didn’t think my Chicano heritage played a

major role in my early life, especially after I got

into high school, other than dealing with racism

in Phoenix. It wasn’t until I was an adult that

I realized just how much of a role it actually

did play. Not only had all of the heavy Catholic

iconography influenced my aesthetics, but also

my behavior. I’m not a great man, but I was

taught to try and be a decent man.

AND YOUR GRAFFITI-ART BACKGROUND?

Graffiti saved and changed my life. When you

risk everything to make art that’s illegal, it

rewires your brain. Graffiti is a lifestyle; the paint

on the wall is a byproduct of that lifestyle. This

mentality still plays a huge role in my life today,

reminding me that there’s always a better way to

do things. It’s affected how I draw, sculpt, tattoo,

and paint. Graffiti was my art school. I owe a

lot to my crews, these guys were on the frontline

during the onslaught of aerosol artwork which I

was blessed to take part in.

WHICH PERIOD IN ART HISTORY AND WHICH

ARTISTS INSPIRE YOU THE MOST?

I take something from all periods. My tastes

are inspired by classical paintings and wood

etchings right now. Not too long ago it was

abstract, surrealism, special effects creatures...

it seems that whatever I give the most attention

to eventually changes. As far as influences,

I could go on and on, but the ones that

immediately come to mind are Caravaggio,

Rembrandt, Ferdinand Bol, Peter Paul Rubens,

John Singer Sargent, Odd Nerdrum, Jan Van Eyck,

Adrian Van der Vert, Jean Leon Gerome...More

modern artists include Zdzislaw Beksinski, De

Es Shwertberger, Chet Zar, Nick Baxter, Shawn

Barber, The Quay Brothers, Steve Wang, Jordu

Schell... I could keep going, but as you can see,

I jump all over the place.

WHERE DID YOU LEARN THE TECHNIQUE FOR

DRAWING AND PAINTING?

Studying, applying, studying, applying, studying,

applying. There is absolutely no substitute for

hard work.

YOU BEGAN TO TATTOO IN 1999...HOW DID YOU

GET STARTED?

I studied at a shop that’s no longer around, in

Glendale (Arizona), from a man I’ll just refer to

as Don G. (I’m not sure if he still tattoos, but

last I heard, he’s back at it. I hope so). I was

schooled about basic traditional tattooing by

Jay Zuccala and learned about more rendered

stuff by a guy named Jason Foglesong. After a

few other shops, none of which are no longer

around, I ended up at Phoenix Tattoo Company

in 2004, I believe. This is where I really got

my start; before then it was just trial and

error. Eric, Marko, and Tony were all artists who

were hungry to learn, and they made a really

potent learning environment for another young

and hungry artist.

HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH TATTOO ART

INFLUENCED YOUR PAINTING, AND VICE-VERSA?

I have yet to figure out what part of my

painting techniques should be used for my

tattooing, and which ones shouldn’t. I think

the biggest influence my painting has on my

tattoos is lighting. Anyone who’s familiar with

my tattoo theories knows that for me, it’s all

about the lighting. It has to stay consistent, or


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the illusion of dimension is lost. Other than that, I try to make

a tattoo be just that: a tattoo. I think that a tattoo shouldn’t

be a painting on the skin. Tattooing has fundamental rules

that need to be respected. As an artist wiser than me once

said: “you wouldn’t try to build a house without a foundation

and frame”.

WHERE ARE YOU CURRENTLY LIVING AND WORKING?

Why, do you have a place where I can crash? (laughter) I was

in Los Angeles, but I’m currently nomadic, and keeping an eye

open for the next place that will inspire and feed my need to

be creative and inspire. I might be in your town soon, who

knows...

WHAT PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE? WHAT ARE YOU

FOCUSING ON THE MOST?

I have an idea for my next series, where the images are like

anatomical charts illustrating the dynamic nature of the

human vehicle, and how that vehicle is a perfect and visceral

tool for communication and interaction. I could go into it

further, but I like surprises. For now, my main focus will be to

become a better tattooer, as I study, learn, and apply what I

feel is great tattooing. I hope that one day I’ll be able to bring

something new to the table, just like many tattoo pioneers

have done. Tattooing is the most important medium I’m

working with right now. I take it very, very seriously, and even

though I am very carefree, I most definitely try to put every

bit of energy that I can into every tattoo I make. I just want to

constantly improve. I want to look at the tattoos I’ve made

and smile, knowing the client is happy. And if they were

awesome enough to let me make a design of my own

on them, then I’m very lucky. Tattooing is very rewarding

when its traditions are respected. But this requires discipline.

For me, that’s ok…it’s worth it.


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WWW.VIVALASVEGAS.NET

CONVENTIONPHOTOS BY SUSANA VICTORIA VESTIGEPHOTOGRAPHY.COMASSISTED BY VERA LYNN SINNER AND KADDIE O’ KEEFETEXT BY SINNER, O’KEEFE AND VICTORIA


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26

CONVENTION

Tom Ingram is the

mastermind behind

this event, and has

promoted Rockabilly

events for over 20

years in the US and

UK. He started off

as a Rockabilly DJ in

London, and ran the

top Rockabilly clubs of

the city. His radio shows included BBC Radio

One, and he also worked on a station that

aired in 28 countries across Europe. Currently

hailing from Long Beach, Ingram is continuing

his career in acting and producing television

shows and feature films. He is also a tattoo

aficionado, as can be seen by his beautiful

back piece done by Opie Ortiz.

Viva Las Vegas takes place at the Orleans

Hotel and Casino, and attendees were able to

explore several areas that offered everything

from collectables to dance lessons. Indoor

vendor areas were bustling with eager buyers

interested in apparel and accessories from

the 1940s and 50s. Musical acts performed

in six different venues inside of the casino,

while poolside parties with live performances

and swimsuit contests each day were an

afternoon delight. Downloading the smart

phone app for the weekend helped people

with their scheduling, so if you wanted to

“VIVA LAS VEGAS” IS A PHRASE THAT BRINGS

MANY THINGS TO MIND - EXCITEMENT, VICE, NEW

EXPERIENCES. APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH, EACH OF THE

16 VIVA LAS VEGAS ROCKABILLY WEEKEND EVENTS

PROMISES JUST THAT. WHETHER ENTHUSIASTS ATTEND

BECAUSE THEY LOVE ROCKABILLY CULTURE, CLASSIC

CARS, PIN UP GIRLS, OR, MOST RECENTLY, TATTOOING,

THIS EVENT PROMISES TO DELIVER. INDULGENCE IN

DECADENT PERFORMANCES BY WORLDWIDE BURLESQUE DANCERS AND TIKI

COCKTAILS ARE JUST A COUPLE OF REASONS WHY VIVA IS THE PLACE TO BE

ON EASTER WEEKEND.


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28

go to an event or watch a band, it would be

added to your calendar with a reminder so

you wouldn’t miss out.

Attendees included all the famous names in pin

up, such as Sabina Kelley and Cherry Dollface.

Tons of bands and DJs played all weekend,

including the Rockats, Lee Dresser and the Krazy

Kats, Dixie Leadfoot and The Chrome Struts,

Nikki Hill, and the Moonlight Trio - just to name

a few. There’s simply not enough space to

mention all the talented folks who participated.

Headliners at the car show were Dick Dale,

the King of Surf Guitar, and Little Richard, the

godfather of Rock n Roll, known for hits such

as Tutti Frutti and Good Golly Miss Molly. The

Bustout Burlesque show, with music by one of

the most popular New Orleans jazz bands, the

Sideshow MC Dr.Sic, livened up Friday evening

with its hot atmosphere.

This year Viva Las Vegas set up its first

annual Sailor Jerry Tattoo Lounge hosted by

Steadfast tattoo parlor. Located right by the

bowling alley inside the casino, with less

floor space than in most other conventions,

the lounge was still bubbling with plenty of

energy. And finally, equipped with VLV-themed

flash, artists were busy tattooing visitors

eager to commemorate the event. Hawaiian

artists from Loyalty Tattoo, Bruno Corso,

Chronic Gypsy Tattoo, Goodfellas, Alla Prima,

Kong, Mike Fite, and Breksa from Alchemy

Tattoo were just some of the tattooists who

have participated since Viva’s first tattoo

show, which means this will certainly not be

the last. Make your appointment sooner than

later for VLV 2014!


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Opie

Ort

iz, Seal Beach

, USA


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mailto:[email protected]



TEXT BY SIMONE SACCOPHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN SAINT

Ink fever& bad girl attitude? Oh love!

Ink fever& bad girl attitude? Oh love!32

SHE LOVES THE TANK GIRL COMICS - A TRUE FEMINISM-

PUNK ICON FROM THE 90s - AND THIS ALONE IS ENOUGH

TO MAKE US HER FANS. THEN SHE’S GOT VERY SPECIAL

TASTE FOR EVERYTHING REGARDING TATTOOS (STARTING

WITH THOMAS HOOPER) AND LISTENS TO EXCELLENT

MUSIC ALONG THE LINES OF BARONESS, WITCH AND

MOTORPSYCHO. LET’S FACE IT, HATTIE WATSON HAS GOT

LOADS OF PERSONALITY AND HAS FLAUNTED HER HEAVILY

TATTOOED SKIN IN GREEN DAY VIDEOS AND ON THE PAGES

OF TATTOO LIFE…WHAT A KNOCKOUT!S

O, LET’S START

WITH BASIC

INFORMATION

ABOUT YOU AND

TATTOO ART IN

GENERAL...

Well, I got into

tattoo culture

when I was in

my early 20’s,

and I haven’t stopped since. If you

ask me what my favorite styles are,

I think I’d say that I prefer more

traditional pieces right now, but I

also love dear, old Japanese and

stipple work like what Thomas Hooper

creates.

I THINK YOUR MOST INTERESTING

TATTOOS ARE THE HEART, WHICH IS

ON THE UPPER AREA OF YOUR CHEST,

ALONG WITH ITS COUNTERPART, THE

COFFIN (!!!) WHICH IS ENTANGLED IN

SPIDER WEBS, AND THE CANDLE WHICH

IS SLOWLY MELTING ON THE

LOWER PART OF YOUR TUMMY. I

WAS WONDERING IF THESE HAVE

ANY SPECIAL MEANINGS…

There are no real meanings. I

was obsessed with Halloween

for a while and still love it,

but I’ve just grown into a

different kind of person now.

LET’S TALK A MINUTE ABOUT

WHO YOU USED TO BE. ARE THE

DOLL, CUPCAKES AND LOLLYPOP

WHICH YOU HAD TATTOOED

ON YOUR LEFT LEG PERHAPS A

TRIBUTE TO YOUR CHILDHOOD?

I suppose a little bit, yes.

To be honest, I’d wanted a

sweets arm for years, but

I think it just spun out of

control and it is what it is,

now… (smiles)

ON THE SAME ARM YOU HAVE


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Ink fever& bad girl attitude? Oh love! COVER GIRL

FACEBOOK: OFFICIALHATTIEWATSONTWITTER: HATTIE_WATSON

TUMBLR: HATTIEWATSON

Inkfe

ver

&bad

girl

ttitu

de?

O!

33

A FUNNY ASTRONAUT, COMPLETE

WITH A LASER GUN…

It’s actually a fictional subject

that was created by CandyKiller

aka Brian Taylor (you can find

other examples here: www.

candykiller.com, Ed). I really love

his work and thought that little

guy was cute.

LET’S KEEP TALKING ABOUT FANTASY

CHARACTERS: WHAT ABOUT THAT

TANK GIRL TATTOO ON THE UPPER

PART OF YOUR LEFT ARM? IS IT A KIND

OF ICON FOR YOU?

Yeah, she’s always been a favorite

comic book character of mine and a

huge inspiration because she’s such

a badass woman. That’s why I chose

this tattoo – who else, but her?

AND YOUR SKIN’S TRIBUTE TO THE TANK

GIRL WORLD CONTINUES JUST A FEW

CENTIMETERS AWAY…

Yes, just below the Tank Girl portrait

there’s a Tank Girl tank taken straight

out of one of her latest adventures.

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TATTOOED ON YOUR FEET?

There are two dead sparrows. Actually, I

would love to get them faded so I can get

something else...

ARE THERE ANY OTHER INK PROJECTS IN

STORE FOR THE FUTURE?

Well, I would like working some more

on my left arm and then my right leg,

but I don’t have any new ideas for tattoo

subjects yet.


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http://www.candykiller.com

http://www.candykiller.com



Ink& bad gattitudeOh love!COVER GIRL

Ink fev& bad gttitudOh love34

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE TATTOO ARTISTS? YOU

MENTIONED THOMAS HOOPER BEFORE…

Hooper for sure, but I have to mention Darcy

Nutt, Emily Rose Murray and Kris Roberts, too!

I KNOW THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE SHOOTING

OF GREEN DAY’S LATEST VIDEO CLIP CALLED ‘OH

LOVE’... HOW DID THAT GO?

It was interesting, but it wasn’t what I expected.

Green Day are cool, but right now my favorite

musicians are Magnolia Electric Co. (whose leader,

Jason Molina, tragically passed away last March. R.I.P.,

Ed), Motorpsycho, Baroness, Witch, and… Neil Young!


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TATTOO ARTIST

BY MIKI VIALETTO


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38

ROYAL TATTOO I L TVEDES VEJ 3

3000 HELSINGØR, DENMARKPH: 4920 – 2770

WWW.ROYALTATTOO.COM

TATTOO ARTIST

THIRTY YEARS OF HARD WORK IS NOT A FEAT THAT EVERYONE CAN PULL OFF. AND

EVEN FEWER FOLKS ARE ABLE TO REACH THE LEVEL HENNING JØRGENSEN HAS.

WITH UNDISPUTED ARTISTIC TALENT AND AN UNMISTAKABLE TECHNIQUE THANKS

TO HIS CLEAR AND PRECISE STYLE, JØRGENSEN WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TATTOOISTS

TO INTERPRET ORIENTAL STYLE IN A EUROPEAN WAY. HE BECAME A MODEL FOR

AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF TATTOOISTS WHO VENTURED INTO THIS ART FORM IN

THE 80S AND BEYOND AND CHOSE HIM AS THEIR BENCHMARK FOR REVISITING

THE ORIENTAL STYLE. IN SEPTEMBER THERE WILL BE A CELEBRATION FOR ROYAL

TATTOO’S THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY, IN HELSINGØR, THE DANISH CITY WHICH HAS

BECOME A KIND OF MECCA FOR TATTOOISTS HAILING FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

HI HENNING, I HEARD

THERE WILL BE A BIG

PARTY IN YOUR HONOR

COMING UP SOON...

RIGHT?

I am really fortunate

because I’ve managed

to keep my Royal

Tattoo Studio open

for 30 years, and so

yes, on September 20th we will celebrate its

thirtieth anniversary.

WOW, WHICH OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS AND

COLLEAGUES WILL BE THERE?

First off, all the artists who have worked

at Royal Tattoo - about 90-100 tattooists –

will come; they’ve been invited to create a

painting for this occasion. My idea is

to organize a show where all their works

can be exhibited and in this way go back

in time over the past thirty years, with the

help of photographs and paintings. Then

I’d like to publish a catalogue with this

collection of work. We expect about 500

people to come: a mix of friends, colleagues,

family and clients. This is the third time that

I’m celebrating the studio’s anniversary and

I know that many friends from all over the

world will be happy to come. That’s why I

decided to do it on a date which is close to

the London Tattoo Convention, so that anyone

coming from very far away can participate in

both events with just one trip. And I’d also like

to take this opportunity to remind everyone

that on the Thursday before the convention,

the tenth anniversary celebration for Mo

Coppoletta’s studio, Family Business, will

be held in London.

THEN SEPTEMBER WILL BE A VERY BUSY MONTH FOR

TATTOO FANS EVERYWHERE! IT’S STRANGE TO SAY,

BUT IN A WORLD WHERE THINGS ARE IN CONSTANT

EVOLUTION, IT’S HARD TO FIND TATTOOISTS WHO

WANT TO CHANGE THEIR JOB. I HAVE TO SAY THAT

WITH THIRTY YEARS OF WORK UNDER YOUR BELT,

YOU ARE A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS!

Yeah, I admit that I’ve never wanted to do


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39

anything else, for me this job is the dream of

a lifetime and if I had to choose all over again,

there would be no doubts: tattooing, forever!

It’s my life and my passion. I live tattooing,

I love tattooing. Every day I think about how

fortunate I’ve been to be able to do this work.

Having said that, I must add that this is a very

hard job that requires long hours, leaving

little time for family and friends outside of

the tattoo world. I can’t believe that 30 years

have already gone by, I still feel like a kid who

wants to learn, discover something new, and

I’m still very curious and want to do my best.

I am still honored by the fact that clients trust

me to work on their own skin.

LET’S GO BACK THIRTY YEARS IN TIME. WHAT WERE

YOU LIKE, AND WHERE DID YOU LIVE?

Thirty years ago I was a guy working as an

apprentice in Amsterdam’s red light district.

I worked there for four years, and then I had

the luck to work with dear old Ole Hansen

at Nyhavn 17 in Copenhagen. Working with

him was like starting from scratch - he was

a strict teacher and I learned a lot. After

that, in order to be respectful of the tattoo

shops that already existed in Copenhagen,

we chose Helsingor to open our new studio,

because it was far enough away from the

others…in fact, we received their blessings.

Helsingor is a small city very close to

Sweden, and at the time we opened it wasn’t

easy to find a tattoo shop there. So my


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hope was to gain a lot of Swedish clients,

and that’s what actually happened. I was

working so hard and wanted to do it in a way

that was different from how tattooing was

done at that time. Mike Malone had told me

about how Ed Hardy worked, doing custom

tattoos and preparing personalized work for

his clients. Before that, clients would pick

one of the designs they’d find attached to

the tattoo shop’s walls. So I started to do

custom tattoos as well, because I’ve always

been very ambitious and I’ve always wanted

to give it my all, and I still think like this

today. I know I can always improve and learn

something new.

WHAT STEPS WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES

ALONG YOUR PATH AS A TATTOO ARTIST?

My undying passion for art, travelling

throughout the world – which helped me

discover so many interesting things – and

all the people I’ve met and with whom I’ve

worked. My curiosity, the fact that I am

surrounded by so many talented artists, and

my consistency in trying to improve myself…

I believe that all of these things put

together have been significant steps

along my artistic path.

It’s difficult to say what I’ve actually achieved

over all these years, without seeming vain;

however, I am very proud of the fact that I

was able to keep my shop going for all these

years, offering top quality work – now more

than ever. Clients from all over the world

come to get tattooed; this was the dream

I had when I decided to open in Helsingor,

30 years ago. I’ve made so many friends in

the tattoo world and for me this is the most

important thing. Long-lasting friendships

are the greatest benefit I’ve received over

all these years.

TODAY, WHAT HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED, AND HOW

HAVE YOU CHANGED?

Have I changed? I don’t know…I feel like I’m

still myself! I still have the same passion

for tattooing and for my friends, I would still

like to grow as an artist, I always want to do

my best, I still like talking with my clients,

travelling, meeting people, so...I don’t think

I’ve changed at a personal level. But I do

hope I’ve changed professionally.

WHAT SUBJECTS DO YOU LOVE THE MOST?

I love all the oriental tattoo subjects, but

my favorite image is the dragon, because

it’s powerful and magical; its shape is a

unique one for tattoos, it adapts well to

the body, perfectly. The dragon is also a

universal subject, and when it is mixed with

elements like water and wind, it becomes

very dynamic.


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41

TATTOO ARTIST

WHICH JAPANESE LEGEND OR MYTH DO

YOU PREFER?

There are so many interesting

ones! It’s difficult to say…Taira

no Tomomori is still one of my

favorites: a general chained himself

to an anchor and threw himself into

the ocean, and then was followed

by all of his men, who died with

him. It’s said that their spirits then

hunted down their enemies. In

that region of Japan, crabs have

marks on their shells which look

like human faces. The legend says

that those marks are the spirits of

the defeated general and his men.

I also like the myth of Shoki, the

demon tamer; it makes for a great

story and gives lots of possibilities

for creating a beautiful image.

IS IT TRUE THAT YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN A

TRAVELER? WHERE DO YOU LOVE TO VISIT?

Yes, it’s very true, I travel all the

time, I like to go anywhere, and it’s

always exciting to visit new places.

It energizes me to talk to people and

try living the way they do, wherever

I go. I love New York and California.

For private vacations with my family,

the prize goes to Sardinia, Italy’s

lovely island. It’s one of the places

that I’d consider for my retirement,

when the time comes…

DO YOU THINK THAT HAVING YOUR OWN STUDIO HAS

GIVEN YOU A SAFE HAVEN, OR HAS IT EVER LIMITED

YOU IN SOME WAY FROM CHOOSING CERTAIN

PROJECTS THAT WERE APPEALING?

Having my own studio obviously has limited

me in choosing other projects. Once you’ve

decided to open a studio, you have to take

care of it and you can’t leave it to anyone else,

it’s your responsibility and yours alone, and

you should never expect that other people

can take care of it with the same enthusiasm

as your own. As I’ve already said and will say

again, I am fortunate to have always had the

best teams; this makes it possible for me to

travel, because everyone is very responsible.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE HENNING WHO ISN’T A TATTOO

ARTIST. WHAT ARE YOUR DEEPEST PASSIONS AND

YOUR LATEST CURIOSITIES?

Last year I started to go horseback riding with

my daughters. Last year we went horseback

riding in Sardinia for 5 days; we were

immersed in such wonderful and wild nature,

riding on beautiful horses. This experience

helped bring out my cowboy spirit – fantastic!

I’ve always tried to stay fit, and last year I

really became serious about serious exercise.

It’s like a drug, it makes me happy. Outside of

the tattoo scene, I enjoy life with good food,

dear friends and I love being with my family.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED AS YOU’VE WORKED

ALONGSIDE GREAT TATTOOISTS LIKE PAUL JEFFRIES,

TREVOR MCSTAY AND MIKE RUBENDALL, AND HOW


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HAVE THOSE EXPERIENCES ENRICHED YOUR LIFE

BOTH CULTURALLY AND ARTISTICALLY?

At the end of the 80s, I began to work with

Paul Jeffries and that was an incredible

opportunity for me; Paul really opened my

eyes, I owe him so much! It was a wonderful

experience for me to see how he worked and

how he created his fantastic body suits. My

visits with Paul completely changed my way

of managing my shop and the way I work. I

met Trevor Mc Stay in the 80s. We were very

similar and shared the same passions, and

even though we lived on opposite sides of the

world, we shared the same cause. We still

stay close in touch and I consider him a great

friend. Mike Rubendall came to my shop to

do a guest spot when he was still very young.

I followed his brilliant career and he became

a dear friend and colleague of mine. Being

around this young and passionate person gave

me new energy and he was a great source of

inspiration for the entire time he was here.

WHO’S WORKING AT ROYAL TATTOO NOW?

At the moment at Royal Tattoo I am

honored by the presence of Danny Chan,

Lobinho, Ron Koupal, Stef Bastian, and

Theo Maurin as the permanent team, and

regular guests like Beppe Shiro, Delia

Vico, Emma Kierzek, Kai Sobierayski,

Imma, Marco Serio, Mike Rubendall,

and Stuart Archibal. There are many

other tattooists who come at least once

a year. We have been so lucky to have

such important artists - who are also

wonderful people - come to work with

us. And this is why I want to do the

show which will open for our thirtieth

anniversary – to present all these

people’s work.

IN CLOSING, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D

LIKE TO SHARE WITH US, BEFORE WE MEET

AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER?

I am very grateful for the support I’ve

received throughout all these years. A few

years ago I was going through a bad period

and I was able to really feel the affection

and presence of so many people who were

there to help me. This really struck me,

and I won’t ever forget it. And finally, to all

my clients I would like to say: thank you,

truly, for entrusting your skin to me.


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TATTOO ARTIST


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27-28-29th

46

ANOTHER YEAR HAS ROLLED BY AND ONCE AGAIN OVER 300 TATTOO

ARTISTS – THE BEST IN THE WORLD - HAVE MADE A DATE TO GO TO THE

BRIGHT, VICTORIAN TOBACCO DOCK IN LONDON. FOR TATTOO COLLECTORS,

THE LONDON CONVENTION IS AN OPPORTUNITY NOT TO BE MISSED; IT’S

THE NUMBER ONE EVENT IN EUROPE FOR TRUE FANS OF BODY ART.

THE STAGE IS SET FOR A BUSY BUZZ OF TATTOOISTS HARD AT WORK AT

CREATING SPLENDID TATTOOS IN ALL STYLES, ALONG WITH UNFORGETTABLE

AND CAREFULLY HAND-PICKED PERFORMANCES, SHOWS AND CONTESTS.

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE THERE. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU

CAN MEET CURIOUS AND INTERESTING PEOPLE AT EVERY STEP, JOKE WITH

WORLD-FAMOUS TATTOO ARTISTS, AND ADMIRE LOVELY WOMEN WHO SHOW OFF THEIR TALENTS

IN DANCES AND ACROBATICS THAT WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY: THERE’S JANET FISCHIETTO’S


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47

PREVIEW LONDON

© Jose

fine Jonss

on

BURLESQUE CIRCUS, THE INSPIRED STRIP-TEASE OF ALTERNATIVE

MODEL CERVENA FOX WITH HER UNMISTAKABLE FLAMBOYANT

HEAD OF HAIR, ELEGY ELLEM’S SEXY PERFORMANCES, A POLE

DANCE SHOW COMPLETE WITH FIRE AND SWORDS OFFERED BY

THE DARING FUEL GIRLS, AND FINALLY THE NERDY STRIPPER

SHOW – THE NAME SAYS EVERYTHING! – WHERE NERDS GET THEIR

SEXY REVENGE. YOU WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO GET AN UP-CLOSE

LOOK AT OUR 2014 CALENDAR GIRL, AND ASK FOR HER

AUTOGRAPH AT OUR TATTOO LIFE STAND. FEMALE BEAUTY

WILL ALSO BE CELEBRATED DURING THE PIN-UP

CONTEST, WHICH WILL CROWN THE MISS PIN UP

UK BEAUTY QUEEN DURING THESE THREE DAYS

OF THE CONVENTION. BUT THE CONTEST

WHICH IS MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED

BY CONVENTION PARTICIPANTS,

ORGANIZERS, AND TATTOO

ARTISTS IS –

WITHOUT A


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48

DOUBT – THE ONE THAT AWARDS THE BEST TATTOOS MADE DURING THE CONVENTION.

THIS CONTEST, WHICH ENDS THE CONVENTION, TAKES PLACE AMIDST THE FLASH OF

PHOTOGRAPHERS, WHILE TATTOO FANS SWEAT IT OUT UNDER THE REFLECTORS AS

THEY DISPLAY ON THEIR SKIN THE FINEST WORK OF TATTOO ARTISTS PRESENT AT THE

CONVENTION. DON’T MISS ANY OF THE 26 ROOMS AND SPECIAL AREAS DEDICATED TO

ART SHOWS, WHERE YOU’LL DISCOVER FRANCO VESCOVI’S CROSSES, ALBUM COVERS

WHICH HAVE GONE DOWN IN HISTORY AND ARE NOW REINTERPRETED BY TATTOOISTS

IN THE SHOW BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY, AND THE APPEARANCE OF JONDIX, WHOSE

CREATIONS REVEAL HIS EXPLORATION OF A DEEP SPIRITUALITY AND SOME ASPECTS OF

BUDDHIST MYSTICISM. WELCOME BACK TO THE LONDON TATTOO CONVENTION - THE

ONE AND ONLY...THE SHOW IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!


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Official European Distributor for &

Contact us if you would like to become a distributor for these products: [email protected]

FOR ALL YOUR TATTOO AND PIERCING SUPPLIES CONTACT:

UK FRANCE SPAIN EUROPE


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50

TEXT BY SIMONE SACCOPHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN SAINT

FACEBOOK: CLEODESIREEWATTENSTROMFACEBOOK: CLEO.WATTENSTROM

CALENDAR GIRL

CERTAINLY THIS BREATHTAKING MODEL WILL KEEP YOU

COMPANY DURING EVERY EXCITING MONTH OF 2014,

BUT MORE THAN THAT, CLEO WATTENSTRÖM IS A VERY

DEDICATED TATTOO ARTIST AT LIFESTYLE TATTOO IN

STOCKHOLM. IN A NUTSHELL, THIS IS WHO THE HEAVILY

TATTOOED CLEO REALLY IS: A DETERMINED WOMAN

WHO HAS DILIGENTLY FOLLOWED OUR PREFERRED

“CULTURE” EVER SINCE SHE WAS A TEENAGER. HER

AMBER-BROWN SKIN DISPLAYS SUBJECTS THAT RANGE

FROM FOO FIGHTERS TO THE BIG HORROR CLASSICS

OF CINEMA’S GOLDEN AGE, ALONG WITH EXOTIC

ANIMALS AND TWO SIMPLE LITTLE LETTERS WHICH

SUMMARIZE HER OVERALL PHILOSOPHY:

LT, OR “LIFESTYLE TATTOO”…


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51

THE FIRST THING I’D

LIKE TO FOCUS ON

IS THAT, DESPITE

YOUR LOVELY

APPEARANCE, YOU

ARE NOT A PROPER

MODEL BUT A 100%

PROFESSIONAL

TATTOO ARTIST: AM

I RIGHT?

Yeah, you are

absolutely right!

SO, HOW DID IT FEEL TO TRANSFORM

YOURSELF INTO A TATTOO ENERGY

“CALENDAR GIRL”?

I’m not sure! (laughs) You know, I haven’t

seen the calendar yet, but I like this big

feeling of anticipation as I wait to see it…

OK, LET’S CONCENTRATE ON MATTERS

RELATED TO THE PAST: WHEN DID YOUR DEEP

“RELATIONSHIP” WITH TATTOO ART OFFICIALLY

BEGIN?

I would say maybe around the age of 13-14,

when I decided to pursue my passion for

tattoo art.

AND NOW YOUR BODY IS PROUDLY AND

HEAVILY INKED WITH BLACK & GREY AND

COLORED TATTOOS. TELL ME THE TRUTH:

WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE

MIRROR, DO YOU SEE A KIND OF “LABOR OF

LOVE” FOR THE TATTOO COMMUNITY?

I’m not sure I see it in any specific way,

because I never planned to be heavily

tattooed, it just turned out that way!

(smiles). If anything, I see it as a collection

of memories from this lifetime.

LIKE THE PORTRAIT DISPLAYED ON YOUR

RIGHT HAND?

Oh, that’s a true classic! It is

Frankenstein’s Bride and it pairs with the

Monster tattoo on my left hand.

I KNOW THAT YOUR VERY FIRST TATTOO WAS

A SENTENCE COMING FROM RASTAFARIAN

CULTURE: ‘BABYLON GOING DOWN’. ARE YOU

STILL INTO REGGAE MUSIC?

It was just a phase in my life. I like reggae

music, but not more than many other

genres.

YEAH, IN FACT YOU HAVE SOME LETTERING

ALONG YOUR HIPS WHICH READ: “RUN AND

TELL ALL OF THE ANGELS/ THIS COULD TAKE

ALL NIGHT/ THINK I NEED A DEVIL TO HELP

ME/ GET THINGS RIGHT”…

Yeah, it’s a text pulled from a very cool

Foo Fighters song! (It’s taken from a tune

called Learn to Fly from Dave Grohl’s

album entitled There Is Nothing Left To

Lose which was released in ’99, Ed.)

WHEN YOU ARE TATTOOING SOMEBODY AT

LIFESTYLE TATTOO, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE

SOUNDTRACK?

It really depends on my mood, so I don’t

have just one favorite track.

LET’S CHANGE THE SUBJECT: WHO TATTOOED

THAT BIG AND AMAZING BACK PIECE FEATURING

AN ORIENTAL TIGER?

Andreas Blanco, my talented colleague who

also works at Lifestyle!

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE TATTOO

ARTISTS BESIDES ANDREAS?

Tattooing has become very popular during

the last few years, so there are so many

talented tattooists. I don’t have one favorite

in general, but I follow Jeff Gogue and Shige’s

work a lot.

WHAT DOES THAT LITTLE TATTOO NEAR YOUR

EYE MEAN?

Those are the initials of the shop where

I work, LT as in “Lifestyle Tattoo”. It’s the

most exciting place to visit in Stockholm, of

course! (laughs)

OK, MY LAST QUESTION: DO YOU PLAN TO GET

ANY MORE TATTOOS?

Well, I still have some other empty spots

on my body. I’m going to tattoo my feet for

sure, but at the moment I’m working on…


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52

BOOK

DON ED HARDY

THIRTY YEARS AGO, IN THE FALL OF 1982 TO BE PRECISE, THE FIRST ISSUE

OF THE LEGENDARY MAGAZINE TATTOOTIME WAS PUBLISHED, CAUSING

UNEXPECTED WAVES IN THE TATTOO SCENE. THE SERIES OF FIVE ISSUES

PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1982 AND 1991 HAS BEEN OUT OF PRINT FOR

QUITE A WHILE NOW. BUT LAST YEAR DOUG HARDY, ED’S SON, KNEW

INSTINCTIVELY THAT IT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE TO REPRINT THOSE FIVE

MEMORABLE ISSUES.

So it was thanks to his inspiration that this two-

volume book emerged, in which the first original

editions of each issue – which by now are

unobtainable - were reprinted without the

changes and modifications that had been

made to later editions.

Don Ed Hardy has written the introduction to

the book, and the table of contents was lovingly

prepared, many years ago, by the gypsy tattooist

Eric the Red. The first issue, New Tribalism, gave

life to a brand new style which became a trend and inspired tattoo artists

and tattoo fans the world over. After that, four more monographic issues

were released which explored the most popular subjects in tattoo art:

Tattoo Magic, issued in 1984, Music & Sea Tattoos (1985) Life & Death

Tattoos (1987) and finally, Art from the Heart (1991). There are interviews,

photographs, flash and illustrations, and numerous articles dedicated

to the most recurring subjects, mysterious symbols, techniques and the

history of tattoo art. The end result is a small and precious encyclopedia,

a source of knowledge and deeper understanding for everyone. It also

takes an enthusiastic look at tattoo art and represents an editorial product

which – now as in the past – aims to spread a culture which deserves

respect, as it reveals stories and contexts which have often been ignored.

All of this thanks to Ed Hardy, of course, his wife Francesca Passalacqua,

and contributions from the most important artists in the tattoo world who

so generously offered to share their knowledge. Surprisingly topical, these

five issues of Tattootime swing pleasantly from scholarship to pop, guiding

readers through the facts and ideas of a world which is both ancient and

modern at the same time.


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DON ED HARDY - TATTOOTIME352 FULL COLOUR PAGES, HARDCOVER

PUBLISHER: HARDY MARKS PUBLICATIONS, (SAN FRANCISCO) 53WorldMags.netWorldMags.net

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CONVENTION


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55

Ath

ena, Various

Art

ists

Dave S

hull, Dam

on H

ack

er

& L

eon N

ovic

ke,

New

Culture

Tatt

oo C

o, Denver, U

SA

Ray M

ichals

ki, S

nake &

Dagger, F

lint, U

SA


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CONVENTION PHOTOS BY RICHARD TODDBeto

Munoz,

Ris

ing P

hoenix

, Addis

on, USA

56

LAST WINTER IT WAS PARTY-TIME AT THE

HOTEL MARRIOTT – RENAISSANCE CENTER,

IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT. THE 18TH BIRTHDAY

OF DETROIT’S HISTORICAL CONVENTION WAS

CELEBRATED AMIDST THE DRONE OF TATTOO

MACHINES AND RIVERS OF INK. AND THIS

ANNIVERSARY WASN’T TO BE MISSED BY THE BIG NAMES

IN THE TATTOO WORLD! THOSE PRESENT INCLUDED:

JACK RUDY, BOB TYRRELL, TONY CIAVARRO, BIG GUS,

MIKE DEMASI, PAUL ACKER, NICK COLELLA AND ABOUT

A HUNDRED OTHER AMERICAN ARTISTS WHO CHOSE

DETROIT TO BETTER DISPLAY THEIR SKIN ART TALENTS.

PARTICIPATION WAS HIGH FOR A VARIETY OF TATTOO

CONTESTS (SOME INTERESTING CONTESTS INCLUDED THE

MOST UNUSUAL AND THE MOST PATRIOTIC, NEXT TO

CLASSIC ONES LIKE THE BEST BLACK AND GREY, TRIBAL,

TRADITIONAL, REALISTIC, COLOR, ETC…).

AND WE WERE THERE, IN CHILLY DETROIT, TO CAPTURE

THE BEST WORK DONE AT THIS CONVENTION AND

TO SHOW YOU WHAT PEOPLE WERE DISPLAYING ON

THEIR SKIN. THIS IMPORTANT AMERICAN DATE ALLOWS

TATTOOISTS TO EXPOSE THEIR WORK TO A CLIENTELE OF

TRUE TATTOO FANS. ENJOY THE PICS.


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Ste

ve S

oto

, Goodfe

llas,

Ora

nge, CA &

Hand: Ryan M

ullin

s, Art

Junkie

s, H

esp

eria, USA

Nic

k B

axt

er, P

rivate

Stu

dio

, Aust

in, USA

Johnny Q

uin

tana, In

k S

hop T

att

oo, Arc

adia

, USA

Nic

k S

elley,

Aci

d W

ork

s Ta

ttoo, M

t M

orr

is, USA


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Abey A

lvare

z, 3

Foot

Radiu

s, U

pla

nd, USA

Chris

Bie

rlein

, Scr

eam

ing N

eedle

, Allendale

, USA

MadM

ax

Beers

, Ragin

g T

iger, K

ala

mazo

o, USA

58

Abey A

lvare

z, 3

foot, R

adiu

s Ta

ttoo, USA


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Rem

ber

Ore

llana, Rebel M

use

, Le

wis

ville

, USA

Vin

ce V

illa

lvazo

, M

yst

ic O

wl Ta

ttoo, M

ariett

a, USA

Johnny Q

uin

tana, In

k S

hop T

att

oo, Arc

adia

, USA

????

????

????

????

????

?

B, In

kShop, Arc

adia

, USA


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AGENDA


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62

TATTOO ARTIST

BY STEFANIA PEROSIN

DOMANTAS PARVAINISFACEBOOK: DOMANTAS.PARVAINISFACEBOOK: TOTEMAS TATTOOINSTAGRAM: DOMANTASPARVAINISE-MAIL: [email protected]


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64

TATTOO ARTISTVERY YOUNG, FULL OF TALENT, GRATEFUL, HUMBLE AND YET AMBITIOUS AT THE

SAME TIME. DOMANTAS LOVES DRAWING AND DISCOVERING THE HIDDEN DETAILS

IN IMAGES, AND HAS A PASSION FOR SKATEBOARDING. BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST,

HE’S AN EXCELLENT TATTOOIST, WITH PLENTY OF PROJECTS UP HIS SLEEVE. HE

MAY NOT KNOW IT YET, BUT HE ALREADY STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD.

SO TELL US…WHO IS

DOMANTAS PARVAINIS?

I’m a 24-year old

guy living in Šiauliai,

Lithuania. I do the same

stuff every day, just

like everybody else. But

recently, while I was

doing the same old stuff,

I got into tattooing and

that’s why I’m doing this interview now.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR

ADVENTURE IN THE WORLD OF TATTOOS?

I did my apprenticeship in 2010, under Tomas

Gaupsas in Koping, Sweden. Our friendship

started in quite the usual way, and I needed

a place where I could develop my skills and

gain some professional knowledge of tattooing.

Before when I was living in Denmark, I was just

collecting certain information from anywhere I

could find it. After three or four months doing

the apprenticeship in Sweden, I had to get

back to my education (Multimedia Design and

Communication), which was not successful. I

didn’t feel like it was my thing. Then I got an

invitation to try and work in a Danish tattoo

shop, and that’s where everything started.

MOST OF YOUR TATTOOS ARE IN REALISTIC STYLE.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO GIVE AN ARTISTIC FEEL

TO YOUR TATTOOS, SO THAT THEY ARE NOT JUST A

COPY – EVEN A PERFECT COPY – OF REALITY?

Well, that’s a tricky question, since it’s very

hard to explain why or how I do one specific

thing or another. It just happens. But if we’re

talking about technique, then it’s all about

patience and passion. The more time and

passion a person gives to a certain piece,

the more it becomes alive. In my opinion,

technique is learnable; it just takes each

person a different amount of time to achieve

that state of mind where you believe you are

able to pull off a design drawn on paper, or

transform an object you took a picture of. But

everybody has their own way of thinking and

creating, so I think this one is impossible to

explain.

IN YOUR DRAWINGS, WHICH ALLOW YOU THE

FREEDOM TO CREATE WHAT YOU LIKE, THERE

APPEARS TO BE A CERTAIN PREFERENCE FOR DARK

SUBJECTS AND COLORS, LINKED TO THE HORROR

AND FANTASY WORLDS. WHERE DO YOU FIND THE

INSPIRATION FOR YOUR WORK?

Mainly from music (ambient, experimental,

jazz, various classical), but also movies

(mystery, drama, sci-fi), photography, and

pretty much everything that captures my

attention. I like subtly dark themes.

THE PRECISION WITH WHICH YOU CREATE DETAILS

(HAIR, ANIMAL FUR, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS)

REVEALS YOUR EXCELLENT SKILL. WHAT HAVE YOU

STUDIED AND HOW DO YOU TRAIN IN ORDER TO

HAVE SUCH IMPECCABLE TECHNIQUE?


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66

TATTOO ARTIST

As far back as I can remember, my biggest

problem and passion has been detailing, even

before I had a basic foundation or knew how

to create a basic composition…so that’s why I

never finished my drawings. Things got better

after I started attending Junior Art School at

the age of 13. At that time I was amazed and

completely blown away by landscapes and

realistic pencil or charcoal drawings and oil

paintings. I remember staying up late at night

to redraw from old postcards, just because they

had so many details in one place. Technique,

as I said, is something an artist can master in

a certain amount of time, but over time both

technique and the artist change. Certain rules

can be applied to all tattooists, but the rest is

personal preference. Without good contrast,

emotions and composition details have zero

value, in terms of durability and aesthetics.

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE

FOR BLACK AND GREY, ESPECIALLY IN YOUR

PORTRAITS…OR AM I WRONG?

Well, yeah. I feel like I don’t have enough

knowledge to do color portraits well. And

also there are many more people who ask for

portraits in black and grey instead of color, and

I prefer black and grey myself.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TACKLE ANOTHER STYLE?

Of course, when the time is right I would love

to start from scratch and try a completely

different side of tattooing. It would change

my point of view and help me think about

tattooing at 180 degrees. I think the first thing I

would love to try would be new traditional. I’m

very inspired by the strength and simplicity of

this genre. It’s very creative too.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO LIVE AND WORK IN YOUR CITY,

ŠIAULIAI?

It’s a relatively small town, with a population of

about 100,000. It’s a nice, cozy and calm town,

and for me it’s got everything I need; when I

feel bored or get tired of it I travel somewhere

else for a bit and come back refreshed. The

studio I’m working in is called Totemas Tattoo,

and there are six of us. We each have very

different styles and preferences, and there’s

plenty of space to express ourselves.

WHAT IS YOUR CLIENTELE LIKE, AND WHAT ARE

THEIR MOST FREQUENT REQUESTS?

There’s a variety of people - in every possible

way - and everyone is very nice and friendly.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank

my international clients for traveling far just

to get something done by me! And thanks to

all my clients, past and future, for letting me

permanently express myself on their skin.


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68

TATTOO ARTIST

IN LITHUANIA, ARE THERE OTHER ARTISTS WITH

WHOM YOU’RE IN TOUCH? IS THERE A NETWORK

OF PEOPLE WHO MEET REGULARLY IN ORDER TO

EXCHANGE IDEAS ON TATTOO ART?

Yes, there are a lot of artists working under

different styles. I don’t know all of them

personally, but those I do know are very

friendly and we share ideas and knowledge

when we meet. Unfortunately, Lithuania

still doesn’t host a major tattoo convention,

because people are still in the process of

understanding and appreciating tattoo art.

Most people still think of a tattoo as a piece

of jewelry, but of course it’s not just that.

DO YOU OFTEN TRAVEL TO CONVENTIONS?

I have only been to two or three for the

moment. But now I’m trying to be more

active and I plan to attend more conventions

in the future.

WHAT OTHER PASSIONS DO YOU HAVE, AND

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT

TATTOOING?

I love skateboarding, even though I don’t

ride that much as before, because of work.

I also love bicycling, and I try my best to

keep my body in shape, because exercise

refreshes my mind so well, and gives me

the energy to concentrate all day. I don’t

have many hobbies, but I think that a hobby

shouldn’t be related to the work you do,

so that you can keep your mind sharp and

focused every day.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE

FOR THE FUTURE?

I really want to start learning how to do oil

painting. There are also some plans to make

a DVD. For the moment the idea hasn’t fully

taken shape, but I’m working on it.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD

BEFORE WE END THIS INTERVIEW?

I would like to thank Tattoo Life magazine

for giving me this opportunity. I would also

like to thank my family for always believing

in me, and of course all my colleagues from

Totemas Tattoo and others for supporting me

and for just being very nice people. And to

InkMachine for all its support and all the

Tattoo Life readers who will read this interview

– a big thank you.


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CONVENTION

TEXT BY: ANNA ROSSIPHOTOS BY: DEBORA MARCATI

72

Paolo

Old

, Ghirig

ori F

am

ily,

Oggio

no, Italy

THE 2013 EDITION OF THE NAPOLI TATTOO EXPO WENT

ONSTAGE AT THE MOSTRA D’OLTREMARE IN ONE OF ITALY’S

MOST POPULAR CITIES, A LITTLE BIT EARLIER COMPARED

TO THE USUAL DATE IN MIDSUMMER. ORGANIZED BY

THE ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE NAPOLINDELEBILE, IN

COLLABORATION WITH FRIZ TATTOO AND MICROMUTAZIONI,

THIS CONVENTION DEDICATED TO ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS

RELATED TO BODY ART AND BODY MODIFICATION

CELEBRATED ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY.


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73

Anto

nio

Pro

iett

i, C

am

den T

ow

n, Rom

e, Italy


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74

Fabrici

o M

ello, Casa

de L

eoes,

Nante

s, F

rance

Murr

an, M

urr

an T

att

oo, M

onte

catini Te

rme, Italy

Gia

nlu

ca F

usc

o, Posi

tive V

ibra

tions,

Ara

deo, Italy

Andre

a P

allocc

hin

i, F

our

X, San F

elice

Circe

o, Italy

As the convention

organizers proudly

declare, a lot of ink

has passed under

the bridge since the

time it all began.

Over the years the

Napoli Tattoo Expo

has established

itself as a top

international showcase for tattoo art in

southern Italy, and once again it succeeded in

bringing together tattoo art, music, figurative

art and street art. This year’s fair saw the

presence of over 200 international tattooists

who, along with participants, admired – and

contributed to creating – a very unique show.

Besides tattooing, there were concerts, DJ sets,

seminars, performances and contests. Speaking

of contests, the big news this year was the

prestigious 2013 International Competition

Chaudesaigues Award which chose the Napoli

event for its second edition. The contest jury

consisted of only the finest experts and tattoo

artists: Shane O’Neill, Nikko Hurtado, Alex De

Pase and Mike Devries.

Joe Capobianco, an American artist who has

been world-famous for twenty years now

thanks to his iconographic pin-ups, was also

in Italy for the first time.

There were lots of tattooists from the Campania

region who acted as hospitable and charming

hosts as they moved deftly between making

tattoos, offering seminars and putting on shows,

including: Enzo Brandi, Costantino Sasso, Riccardo

Cassese, Mojo, Roberto Lauro and Silvia Amantea.

Other Italian tattooists answering the roll call were:

Murran Billi, Vlady, P’Ink with his artistic and

experimental creations, Marco Lari with his

horror and Sabry Ink Lady with her highly

requested funny style creations. Music fans

had plenty to choose from during an event

which makes music one of its top protagonists:

there was lovely Tying Tiffany’s hypnotic

electronic, Karim Qqru’s Italian rock’n’roll and

the Napolitan band The Collettivo; the latter

two are making interesting strides in the indie

world. Unlike past conventions, this year the

heat let up and allowed participants to fully

enjoy all the collateral events, including

shows, painting workshops and the “Bod Mod”

seminar for professional piercers.

The Naples convention always provides

satisfaction in the food department, with an

incredible amount of steamy and irresistible

pizzas which Naples is famous for. The cheerful

and generous nature of Naples folks always

leaves a carefree and unmistakable mark on

this highly popular event.


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CONTESTS:BEST OF SHOW1 RICCARDO CASSESE 2 JOE CAPOBIANCO

COLOR TATTOO1 ANDREA “ANTIKORPO” LANZI 2 LOVE TATTOO3 MAX LABARBERA

SMALL TATTOO1 ANDREA “ANTIKORPO” LANZI 2 PABLO (Milano City Ink)3 CARLO FORMISANO

TRIBAL1 PIERLUIGI DELIPERI2 COSTATTOO3 CLAUDIO COMITE

REALISTIC BLACK AND GREY1 MATTEO PASQUALIN2 RICCARDO CASSESE

JAPANESE1 VLADY (Positive Vibration)2 FRANCO ROGGIA3 FABIO GARGIULO (South Ink)

TRADITIONAL 1 GOODFELLAS TATTOO2 MARCO VARCHETTA3 DONNA MAYLA

75

Joe C

apobia

nco

, Hope G

allery

, New

Haven, USA

Enzo

Bra

ndi, E

nzo

’s T

att

oo, Naple

s, Ita

ly

Mojo, Mojo Tattoo, Avellino, Italy


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76

TATTOO ARTIST

“THE POLYNESIAN PEOPLE’S WAY OF THINKING IS IMBEDDED IN THESE MOTIFS

THAT WE TATTOO OURSELVES WITH; WHETHER BY MACHINE OR TATAU (HAND-

TOOLED), THESE ARE THE TOOLS OF OUR TRADE AND AS TRADESMEN IT IS OUR

GOAL TO BECOME MASTERS OF OUR TRADE AND CULTURAL INHERITANCE.”

STRONG WORDS FROM A HIGHLY MOTIVATED AND TALENTED INDIVIDUAL, SI’I

LIUFAU IS PART OF THE WORLDWIDE RESURGENCE OF MODERN POLYNESIAN

TATTOOING. IT’S ALWAYS INTERESTING FOR ME TO LEARN ABOUT ANOTHER

TATTOO STYLE, SO RICH AND COMPLEX IN CULTURE AND SIGNIFICANCE. I MET SI’I

THROUGH THE POLYNESIAN EXPERT

SULU’APE STEVE LOONEY AND HAD THE

OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW HIM FOR

TATTOO LIFE.

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT

GROWING UP AND YOUR

CULTURAL HERITAGE?

I was born and raised

here in Orange

County. My dad came

straight from the rock

(Samoa) and my mom

was a blonde, green-

eyed, German girl from

Minnesota. Around the time I was in 5th

grade my parents divorced, and my siblings

and I ended up living with my dad and his

two sisters and a horde of cousins. It was

an interesting household, as my dad and his

sisters would speak to each other and to

friends of theirs in Samoan, but to us they

only spoke in English, and we could only

speak English at home. This was somewhat

ironic since every other aspect of our lives

was experienced in a very Samoan way, or

fa’asamoa: discipline, activities and food.

THAT’S FUNNY, MY MOM SPOKE TO ME IN

ENGLISH AND JAPANESE BUT MY FATHER ALWAYS

SPOKE TO ME IN ENGLISH. TATTOOS ARE AN

IMPORTANT PART OF SAMOAN CULTURE.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST


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INTERACTIONS WITH TATTOOS - SAMOAN OR OTHER

STYLES?

I will never forget the first time I really

noticed a Samoan tattoo. I’d already had

my last name tattooed on my back and at

this time I was playing JC football locally,

when I met this guy who had just come

from Samoa. He had an armband with

the Fu’e and To’oto’o (iconic symbols of

Samoan culture) surrounded by what we

recognize as traditional Samoan designs.

It was an amazing thing to see! These

tattoos identified this person as a Samoan

so clearly and simply, while having their

own aesthetic appeal. And little did I know

at the time, but those designs held the keys

to Samoan culture and history. It took six

or seven more years after that for me to

become involved in tattooing and another

couple of years after that before I found

myself on this journey to understand these

designs that define and identify Polynesian

people. Eventually the search for this

understanding brought me to the Sulu’ape

family, where I laid on mats for two and a

half weeks to receive my own tatau (pe’a),

and began to understand the culture and

society of the people who have protected

and cultivated this art.

OKAY…CAN WE GO BACK TO THE STORY ABOUT

THAT FIRST TATTOO ON YOUR BACK WITH YOUR

LAST NAME? It sounds like you were tattooed

when you were rather young.

Yeah, I was tattooed right around my 18th

birthday. I was scared that my father would

have a lot to say about it, as we were raised

in a strict LDS family. And he did have a lot

to say, when he found out about it. But that

tattoo had been made by a local artist who

had tattooed a lot of my friends, and it was

one of them who took me to get tattooed

at his apartment. I only remember him

drawing it on freehand, and then once he

started, squeezing the chair saying, “Holy

Shit!” I think I broke the chair! He was fairly

fast though, and it was all over in 2 hours.

BUT YOU SAY YOU TRULY GOT INVOLVED IN

TATTOOING LATER. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?

I started to tattoo when someone gave me a

tattoo I didn’t like. I was in prison at the time,

and had this Jamaican guy tattoo a design I

had drawn up. In the end I wasn’t happy with

it, so I told the guy to give me the machine so

I could finish my own tattoo, and that’s how

it all started. Next thing I know, people were

asking me for tattoos left and right. So after

tattooing in the penitentiary for a couple of

years, I got out and landed a job at Lowrider

Tattoo III in Costa Mesa. Tattooing has been

in my life every day since then.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE PE’A

The Pe’a or tatau is one of the most

documented and prolific tattoos throughout

Polynesia, and is a significant part and

identifying feature of Samoan culture. The

pe’a is a rite of passage for males in the

culture, to show endurance through pain,

subservience to one’s peers and elders, and

obedience to the protocols and expectations of

Samoan society.

WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PE’A LIKE?

When I was young I had heard about Samoan

tattoos, but it wasn’t until I’d started tattooing

myself that this part of tattooing was truly

unveiled to me. The first time I saw a tatau,

I was speechless. It was the most inspiring

tattoo I’d ever seen and even though I knew

very little at the time, the importance of this

tattoo to Samoan culture made it even more

alluring. The moment I saw a tatau, after

already having become a tattooer myself - and

specifically a Polynesian tattooer - I knew that

I wanted to experience and wear this tattoo. I

just didn’t know if I was qualified or if I would

have my family’s support to do this. But very

soon I was the one laying in front of the Tufuga

with my family and friends in attendance to

show their support. Little did I know at the

time, but this was the last task that my dad

helped me with because he passed away two

weeks after I completed my pe’a. I do feel that

he knew that I needed to finish my pe’a, and

how important it was to me but also to our

family since I was the first Sogaimiti from my

father’s side in a very long time.

IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOUR PE’A AND THE

EXPERIENCES LEADING UP TO IT REALLY CONNECTED

YOU TO YOUR SAMOAN HERITAGE AND IDENTITY. HAS

IT CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

Without a doubt! Looking back at how I grew

up here in Southern California, I would say

that before my pe’a I knew nothing of Samoa.

Now that I have my pe’a, I know what Samoa

is. I am certainly no expert, but I’ve realized

that there is so much more to being Samoan

than how we are viewed by society today. The

Tatau, Malofie and Pe’a are very important

defining aspects of Samoan culture and it is

an honor to be involved in the survival of this

art form, with the knowledge that it has been

practiced on these small Pacific islands for

thousands of years. Growing up, I always

wanted to learn more about my culture,

and as a tattooer I’ve wanted my work to

be recognized as Samoan; the experience

of getting my pe’a gave me more insight

into Samoan culture than I would have ever

learned through books, the internet or stories.

I CAN RELATE. I FLEW TO JAPAN TO GET MY


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TATTOO ARTISTBACKPIECE AND FELT THE SAME TYPE OF

AWAKENING. IT’S A GREAT THING! OKAY, LET’S

TALK ABOUT THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE

PE’A: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? IT SEEMS TO BE A

GRUELING EXPERIENCE AND I’VE HEARD IT CALLED

“A RITE OF PASSAGE?” WHAT DO YOU THINK?

A pe’a takes as long as a person needs to

finish it. I’ve seen Su’a Sulu’ape Peter do

one in just 3 days! But my own personal

tatau took 2 and a half weeks, a total of

10 sessions over 17 days. Then there

are some that take longer than that for

whatever reasons…the important thing is

just to finish - otherwise you’ll be thought

of as a pe’a muku, which is nothing to be

proud of. Receiving a tatau is a draining

experience for a person, because it tests

your physical, mental and spiritual limits. It

is a rite of passage for Samoan people, and

also the source of inspiration for much of

modern-day tattooing.

IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A FUSION OF POLYNESIAN

STYLES NOWADAYS - WHY DID THIS HAPPEN AND

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?

We have most definitely seen a welcome

progression of Polynesian work over the

past several years, with artists combining

not only the motifs of multiple islands in

one tattoo, but also combining Polynesian

tattoos with other mainstream tattoo styles

such as Japanese, black and grey, color,

etc…the only limit is our imagination. This

progression is a very healthy and natural

part of tattooing. One major reason for

the fusion of Polynesian tattoos has been

the migration of the Polynesian people

as well as interracial mixing. Many of our

families here in the United States are

either first or second generation, and as

we have relocated and re-established

our communities, we have seen many

of our Polynesians coming together in a

multicultural Polynesian community. So

since we’ve begun sharing our individual

cultures, food, dances and bodily fluids with

each other, it is only normal that we should

share our tattoos with each other, as well.

WHAT DO THE TATTOOS MEAN?

Polynesian tattoos are the identifying

marks of the Polynesian people. The motifs,

simple representations of nature, represent

the complex Polynesian philosophy of life

and community. As with most indigenous

people, there was and still is a strong

relationship with nature, not only as a

source of substance but also as a source of

spiritual inspiration and personal guidance.

Since every island in Polynesia is a little

bit different from the others, so are their

tattoos.

HOW DOES ONE STUDY SAMOAN AND/OR

POLYNESIAN TATTOOING?

Well, first off it helps if you are Samoan

or Polynesian in some way. With so

much of the designs representing

different aspects of each Polynesian

culture, an understanding of the culture

is imperative to being able to learn the

artwork. Also, tattooing a Polynesian

design, whether specifically Samoan or

from any of the other Polynesian societies,

is a cultural inheritance. The designs and

the knowledge of how to apply them to the

body have been handed down through the

generations. Having said that, it is my belief

that a person has to learn directly from one

of these Tufuga Tatau or Master Tattooists;

literature and the internet should be used

only for supporting knowledge and not as

the basis of a person’s understanding of

this art form. Something else a person

needs in order to study Samoan or

Polynesian tattoos is to wear a Polynesian

tattoo, whether contemporary or

traditional.


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79

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN SAMOAN OR POLYNESIAN

TATTOOING?

The most important thing in the Polynesian

art of tattooing is the person. It’s the person

getting the tattoo who decides which motifs

will be used, men or women, and the

island of origin. In the case of

a non-Polynesian, the person

should choose their island of

inspiration. For example, many

Samoan, Tongan and Hawaiian

people want their tattoos to

represent their heritage. In these

cases, as tattooers we must know

the differences in these designs

so that we can properly serve

our clients’ wishes. In these

situations, our work as tattooers

becomes a civil service to these

individual Polynesian communities.

It’s important!

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE “STICKS”?

ARE YOU LEARNING THIS TRADITIONAL

METHOD?

The “sticks” or au’s are very

important in many aspects

of modern-day Polynesian

tattooing. However in my opinion,

the most important thing is the

knowledge that accompanies these

tools, the history of Samoa and

folk tales of these islands. So for

me, using the au’s and learning

the traditions of this trade are

essential since I am a tattooer of

Samoan heritage. In order to be able

to tattoo Samoan art or any other Polynesian

art style, I need to understand my own

roots first. So here I am today, still chasing

all the knowledge which is a part of the

Samoan tatau.

DO YOU THINK HAND TATTOOING IS MORE

TRADITIONAL?

Well yes, of course “hand tapping” is more

traditional. There really is no comparison with

machine tattooing, but they are both beautiful

in their own ways. After receiving my first

tatau, I remember looking at it and thinking

there were so many little imperfections!

Don’t get me wrong, the design was what

it was intended to be and I realized that

this traditional art form had a much deeper

significance than just looking pretty. This

art form holds the heritage of a people who

have thrived throughout the Pacific Ocean.

And it isn’t just the knowledge of Samoa, but

the Polynesian people’s way of thinking that

is imbedded in these motifs that we tattoo

ourselves with; whether by machine or tatau

(hand-tooled), these are the tools of our trade

and as tradesmen it is our goal to become

masters of our trade and cultural inheritance.


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82

BY LUISA GNECCHI RUSCONECULTURE

It seems that archeologists

unanimously agree that

tattooing was practiced in

Europe before the last ice age,

12,000 years ago. Proof of this

can be found from discoveries

made in 1867 in France, in the

Grotte di Fées in Châtelperron

– where bowls containing

red and black pigments were

found, along with sharp flint stone

tools – and similar findings from caves

in Scandinavia and Portugal. The tools’

sizes and shapes have led archeologists

to believe that they were used for

tattooing. Human figures with four

vertical lines carved into their cheeks –

which look like tattoos – were found on

stone blocks in Aveyron and Tarn, France.

In Romania, on the banks of the Danube,

small clay statues with lines etched onto

the bodies were discovered; these lines

are also considered to be tattoos. The

clay statues date from 5,000 BC and have

been attributed to Cucuteni cultures.

From writings of ancient Greek and

Roman historians we know that the

Indo-European tribes from Western

Europe tattooed themselves: the

Dacians, the Thracians and the Illyrians

would create tattoos which represented

a person’s social status, a custom

which they probably learned from their

conquerors, the Asian Scythians.

Unquestionable proof of tattooing’s

existence in ancient Europe was gained

THE INFORMATION THAT IS AVAILABLE ON THE ORIGINS OF TATTOOING IN EUROPE GOES BACK TO ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN TEXTS AND TO SEVERAL ARCHEOLOGICAL

FINDINGS OF MUCH LATER PERIODS, WHOSE INTERPRETATIONS ARE NOT ALWAYS AGREED UPON BY SCHOLARS.


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83

in 1991 when the mummified body of a

man named Oetzi was discovered in a

glacier in the Alps at the Italian-Austrian

border. The mummy was 5,000 years

old and was preserved in excellent

condition, thanks to ice. Tattoo marks

are clearly visible on its skin. These

marks were etched behind the knees

and on the back – very unusual locations

for tattoos, which are usually placed on

highly visible parts of the body – and for

this reason scholars are in agreement

that these tattoos were made for

therapeutic reasons, as a cure for back

pain. Indeed, these tattoos are located

in the same areas where acupuncture

needles are placed to cure arthritis.

In the twentieth century, other important

discoveries were made that have helped

reconstruct the history of tattooing on

our continent. In southern Siberia, on

the upper Altai Mountains, the bodies

of a man and a woman were found

in two different burial mounds. These

bodies had also been well-preserved

for 2,500 years, thanks to ice and a

skillful mummification technique which

almost completely preserved their skins.

In 1948, the Russian anthropologist

Sergei Rudenko discovered a Pazyryk

cemetery at about 120 kilometers from

the Chinese-Russian border. The tombs

Rudenko discovered were in an excellent

state of conservation. They contained

skeletons and complete bodies of

embalmed horses and human beings,


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84

BIBLIOGRAPHY:- Steve Gilbert: Tattoo History; - G. Luigi Cerchiari: Chiromanzia e tatuaggio, Hoepli, Milano, 1903;- A. De Blasio: Il tatuaggio, Arnaldo Forni Editore, Napoli, 1905;- Luisa Gnecchi Fercioni: Tatuaggi la scrittura del corpo, Mursia;- Maarten Hesselt Van Dinter: The World of Tattoo, Kit Publishers, 2005.

as well as a large number of artifacts:

harnesses, saddles, a cart, blankets,

clothing, jewelry, musical instruments,

amulets, tools and hashish pipes

(which were described by Rudenko

as “pipes for smoking hemp”). Also

discovered were textiles coming from

China and Persia, which were thousands

of kilometers from Pazyryk territory.

Rudenko’s most important discovery

was the mummified body of a Pazyryk

chief - a stocky and strong man who had

died when he was 50 years old. While a

part of his body had deteriorated, most

of his tattoos were easy to see. This

chief had elaborate tattoos of real and

mythological animals all over his body.

The best preserved tattoos were of a

donkey, a mountain goat, two stylized

deers with long horns and an imaginary

carnivorous animal, on his right arm. His

chest displayed two griffin-like monsters

and his left arm had partially erased

images which seem to be two deers and

another mountain goat. On the front

of his right leg there was a large fish

which extended from his foot to his

knee, while a monster seemed to be

climbing onto a foot; on the inside of his

shin there was a series of four running

rams which were attached together to

create one design. His left leg also had

tattoos, but they had deteriorated and

were no longer visible. On his back he

had a series of small circles along his

spine which probably had been given

as therapy. Tattoos like this are still

made today to cure back pains in some

Siberian tribes.

In the summer of 1993 another Pazyryk

mummified body was discovered in

Siberia, on the Umok plateau. This time

it was a woman, whose body had been

buried for over 2,400 years in a coffin

made out of a hollowed-out larch trunk.

This young woman was named “the ice

virgin”. The outside of her coffin was

covered in leather, which had been

engraved with stylized images of deer

and a snow leopard. What probably

happened is that shortly after she was

buried, frozen rain flooded the tomb

and so the entire contents of the death

chamber remained frozen until it was

discovered. Her arms were tattooed with

images of mythological animals similar

to those of the previously discovered

Pazyryk warrior. She was dressed with

a flowing dress of white silk, a long,

red, wool skirt and long felt socks. She

had an elaborate hairdo consisting of

hair and felt. Many artifacts were also

found in the death chamber, such as

gold ornaments, cutlery, a brush, a

vase containing marijuana and a mirror

which had a picture of a deer engraved

on the back. Six horses with elaborate

harnesses had been sacrificed and laid

on trunks which formed the roof of the

death chamber.

In the pre-Christian age Pazyryk nomads,

Shiites and many other local tribes gave

rise to the Shiite-Siberian culture.

The Shiites and the Pazyryk were two

nomadic peoples who roamed the

vast steppes of Central Asia with their

herds. Skillful riders, they became

dangerous warriors who crossed

enormous distances in order to raid

adjacent tribes. The Shiites and Pazyryk

dominated the vast areas of Russia and

Central Asia with an iron hand starting

in ‘800 BC, for a millennium. Their

predominance extended from Asia to

the east Balkans. They were famous for

their jewelry and utensils decorated with

animal figures like those found in their

tombs. The same animal designs appear

in the tattoos of the male and female

Pazyryk warriors who were discovered

in Siberia.

The most beautiful and well-preserved

tattoos are those displaying four rams

on the ankle of a man and a horn

bracelet on a woman’s wrist. The depth

of the pigment in the skin suggests

that the tattoos were made with the

pricking technique rather than the

needle and thread technique which

was widespread at that time among the

Eskimos, Siberian tribes and the Inuit.

The mastery involved in the creation of

these designs and the tattoo technique

were just as good as those of Burmese

and Thai tattoos from the same period,

leading to the idea that perhaps these

civilizations were connected in some

way. Such detailed representations

of real and mythological animals

are present even in modern tattoos

in Southeast Asia, where they are

considered to be magical and protective

for hunting and fishing. The Pzyryk

tribes also probably considered these

tattoos as good luck amulets for hunting

deer. The fact that they were found on

the bodies of only two warriors leads

one to believe that these tattoos were

reserved only for upper class people.


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87

FLASHSAMUELE BRIGANTIA Sailor’s Life

SAMUELE BRIGANTI DRUM TATTOOORBETELLO, ITALYWWW.SAMUELEBRIGANTI.COM

Inspiration for these subjects came to me through an attraction I’ve

always had for traditional style and for the pioneers of that style, but

also thanks to my love for the sea. The subjects, the atmosphere,

and colors in these illustrations express what I see every

day living by the sea, surrounded by ports, boats and the

strange people who have always hung out in places

like this! The color that you see in these sunsets is very similar

to what I see every evening, as I gaze out at the sea from

my window, in Tuscany. I always use watercolors

because I like the graphic result and I find

that this technique is a little bit

like tattooing, since all the brush

strokes have to be perfect the

first time you lay them down,

especially the shadings.

«I wanted to dedicate these watercolors entirely to the sea, and ‘Sailor’s Life’ is the title I chose for this set.»


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FLASH


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FLASH


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tattoo collectiontattoo collectiontattoo collectionA

aro

n C

ole

ma

n,

Imm

ac

ula

te T

att

oo

, M

ec

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US

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Bez, Triplesixst Studio, Tyne and Wear, UK

Daniel Di Mattia, Calypso Tattoo, Liege, BelgiumAnabi-Tattoo, Anabi Tattoo, Szczecin, Poland

Carlos Hierro, The Original Tattoo Lubeck, Germany Carlos Rojas, Black Anchor Collective, Hesperia, USA


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tattoo collectiontattoo collectiontattoo collection

93

Cang Long, Cang Long Tattoo, Shanghai, China Alex Gotza, Dirty Roses, Thessaloniki, Greece

Antonio Todisco, Macko Tattoo, Monopoli, Italy Adrian Machete, Machete Ink, Berlin, Germany Chris Crooks, White Dragon Tattoo, Belfast, UK


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94

Andy Engel, Andy’s Tattoo, Kitzingen, Germany

Calle, King Carlos Tattoo, Stockholm, Sweden

Annie Frenzel, Lowbrow Tattoo Parlour, Berlin, Germany


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tattoo collectiontattoo collectiontattoo collection

95

Daniel Martos Sanchez, Demon Tattoo, La Seu D’Urgell, Spain

Amar, Dragon Tattoo, Eindhoven, Holland

Chris Danley, Forever Tattoo, Sacramento, USA

Brent Patten, Forever Tattoo, Sacramento, USA


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96

Big Gus, Art Junkies Tattoo, Hesperia, USA

Ben Cheése, Everlasting Tattoo, San Francisco, USA

Anderson Luna, Saved Tattoo, NYC, USA

Claire Reid, Claire Reid Tattoo, On the road, Australia

Ben Grillo, Power Tattoo, Vista, USA


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Tattoo Life UK 2013-09-10