Tattoos were once considered out of bounds for youngsters in urban India. But these days, getting inked is no more unusual than getting haircuts, albeit choosing a tattoo is akin to living with one hairdo for the rest of your life. To celebrate the beginnings of tattoo culture in India, the fourth edition of the Heartwork Tattoo Festival was held at Delhi’s DLF Place, Saket on 30 November.
The three-day event witnessed decent footfall, and was attended by some 150 tattoo artists in total, out of which around 50 were from outside India. Approximately 8,000 visitors even got their own tattoos at the event.
Tattoo artists like Paul Booth, Triplesix and Vlado from the United Kingdom; Kesho the Second from Japan; and Shakya and Amali from Nepal, along with several Indian artists, were present at the Delhi event.
The aim of the festival was to promote the art of tattooing, and and provide a common platform to Indian and international artists.
In conversation with Guardian 20, Sameer Patange, tattoo artist and organiser of the festival, said, “I have been one of the oldest guys in this industry and I have seen it from the beginning, including the challenges that I faced in the initial stage. I always thought about why tattoo artists are not given the kind of respect other artists are given. We also deal with a form that has an artistic flair to it. So, that was one of the reasons I wanted to create something which would not just raise awareness among people, but also bring respect to the tattoo artists. I also organised the first actual international tattoo convention in India, called the Tattoo Republic, back in 2011. That did generate a lot of attention and we brought many international artists to the country. At the same time, it helped us showcase the changes and trends in the tattoo industry. Events like these are organised to create awareness about tattoo artists, but also to educate the general public about the art behind it all.”
The star guest at the event was Paul Booth, a renowned tattoo artist from New York. He spoke about the time when he got his first tattoo. He said, “I got my first tattoo, which was my daughter’s name, in 1988. I was fascinated by the art and I fell in love with the process. That is when I started learning it. After some time I started making money out of it and then eventually took it up as a career.”
Booth is famous worldwide for his signature style, “dark tattoos”. When asked about his inspiration for this style, he told us, “I am one of those guys who see darkness in things before they see the bright side. As an artist, I tend to focus on the dark side of the human condition. I am intrigued by the evil that men do.”
He further added, “I am a firm believer that the dark side of oneself, whatever that may be, is not necessarily evil, it is just sadness. The thing is, it can’t be denied and it has to be addressed. Using tattoos, I like to help people come to terms with whatever trauma they may have experienced.”
Booth is truly a veteran when it comes to tattooing. Advising budding tattoo artists at the Delhi event, he said, “Don’t do it to be trendy or a rockstar. You have to be really serious about this if you want to take it up professionally. One has to learn the art with full dedication. If that is not the case, don’t waste anyone’s time, because here you are putting permanent marks on people’s bodies, and you should be responsible enough to do it well.”
Tattoo culture has developed in leaps and bounds over the past decade in urban India. More and more people are opening up to this trend and are willing to experiment with different styles of tattoos. Micky Malani is a tattoo artist, who, along with his brother, has his own tattoo studio, Body Canvas, which has outlets in Delhi, Mumbai and London. His clientele includes celebrities like M.S. Dhoni, Anushka Sharma and Priyanka Chopra. Speaking about the current tattoo trends in India, Malani said, “In recent years, there has been a huge demand for minimalistic tattoos and I have been encouraging that. I think that way people can have a lot of memories of good times. I think minimalistic tattoos will be the biggest trend in the coming years… Also, tattoos of Lord Shiva is something that can never go out of style, especially in India.”
But there are certain issues around tattooing that still need to be addressed. Awareness of “healthy tattooing” and hygiene, for instance. The co-founder of Body Canvas, Vikas Malani said, “Lack of awareness is the biggest problem in India because there are many misconceptions in our society—like you can get hepatitis because of it and so on. The point is an artist should be aware of what needs to be done. Everything from needles to gloves, an artist must take care of all this and promote healthy tattooing. We also want prominent doctors to step up and make people understand that there is no harm in getting a tattoo if you get it from a professional.”