The Circle—that infamous London hangout in Noel Street—has always had quite the reputation when it comes to ‘blink and you could miss it’ guest spots…and this time around, the boss happened to be passing by and who should he stumble upon but Pitta…
Come on. Some things don’t even have to pass through your head for you to know they’re a good idea. Stumbling across the artwork of Pitta is definitely one of them.With a base at the Bad Hands Tattoo Works in Seoul (Korea)—a country not officially bursting at the seams with enthusiasm for the art form and one in which you really need a medical licence to practice—Pitta has made quite a name for himself with his unique blend of mashing up Americana/ Japanese styles with the aesthetics of Dancheong, the traditional decorative colouring usually found in temples.
I find him here on his last day before he makes the journey north for a guest spot with Bez at Triple Six and we get dirty straight off the cuff because I want to find out what it’s like being a tattooer in Korea and whether the authorities are proactive on keeping it illegal out there…
“Tattooing is still illegal in South Korea but the younger generation have a lot of tattoos now. There are so many artists in Korea these days and I would say it’s escalating all the time. As for the police—it’s not so bad. The authorities won’t get involved unless there is a report made which is probably the same as it is in most countries I think.”
The illegality of it goes some way to explaining why Korean tattooing is something of a mystery unless you've looked hard at it on a personal level. Nobody writes or publishes huge volumes that feature hundreds of pages of work like they do about Japanese or Chinese tattooing. Having said that, it must have a history?
"There is a rumour that Japanese art is actually Korean in it's origin but I don't know if that's true or not. When people ask, I tell them that my style is influenced by the aesthetic of Korean folk paintings and Dancheong."
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 283 de Skin Deep.
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Esta historia es de la edición Issue 283 de Skin Deep.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Ask Here Part Two
With the release of Tattooing Ask Here—a collection of original and traditional flash, interview, stories and photographs detailing the tattoo history of Felix Leu—we took the spectacularly well-timed opportunity to speak to Loretta Leu about the book and her life with Felix. The following concludes our time well spent…
The SERPENTS of BIENVILLE
SEAN HERMAN’S TRANSFORMATIVE TATTOO
SAVED BY INK
Carlos ‘Loz’ Oliveros has never had any shortage of passion or drive. Inspired by his father, a pro fighter and DIY tattooer, Oliveros started boxing when he was just six years old, then picked up tattooing at 16. All the while surrounded by the realities of Miami’s Mexican gang culture. Saved by tattooing, Oliveros chose to follow a different path than most of his peers. A path he’s now sharing on a VH1 docu-series called Cartel Crew
THE PRODUCER
It’s no surprise at all to run into a guy like Russ Russell. Pretty much every tattoo artist I talk with cites music as a massive influence on their work and lives in general. But while, for most of them, music is a passion—an inspiration, even, for their day job at the tattoo shop—for Russ it’s almost the other way around. Music is his day job, Russ having worked as both a producer and musician for many years, with tattooing coming later on down the line
Why Is That First Tattoo Encounter So Terrifying?
There is something about getting that very first tattoo that will always make you feel a little bit sick when you walk through the door
The Serpents Of Bienville - Sean Herman's Transformative Tattoo
“There is probably nothing more menacing or dangerous than an individual who is devoid of compassion or empathy. When this individual is permitted by community apathy and bias to successfully cloak himself in the attire of one who claims allegiance to his or her Creator, it becomes the moral imperative of those who lay witness to the peril to step up before it is too late. Until such a time when domestic violence and sexual assault are eradicated for good, the perpetrators of these deplorable acts will continue to cause unspeakable harm as Evil’s welcomed ambassadors and Tyranny’s strongest ally.”
The Eternal River
Through impact-laden encounters between ornamental and figural imagery, tattooist Aron Dubois has developed a self-sourced visual language that openly explores symbology, spirituality and surrealism in an effort to “drink from the eternal river” and return to what the Colorado-native defines as “the source”. Drawing much of his inspiration from esoteric literature, mythic archetypes and the natural world, Dubois has spent his decadelong relationship with the craft “digging for the grail of tattooing”. Here, Dubois demystifies his “optimistic escape attempt” from the addictive dangers of digital tools, and the answers he finds in nature when allowing the walls that stand between himself and the world to dissolve
Palm Reader
For centuries we have looked to our palms as a valuable source of information, a complex blueprint of one’s identity, both physical and spiritual. The latter has seen the palm as a bodily map for instigating premonitions, with its many criss-crossing lines foretelling either a joyful life or a foredooming resolution
Japanese Whispers
He is one of the most gifted Japanese tattooers of his generation. From the region of Niigata in the North-East of Japan, he's spreading the beauty of Japanese tattoo culture. All tattoo lovers praise his complex and very detailed compositions which adorn the bodies of some very lucky collectors, but after 20 years, Tomo is ready to move on…
Rule Breaker
Esther Garcia plays by her own rules — she always has and always will. Even with two decades of experience, the Chicago-based artist still finds ways to push herself and innovate. Whether it’s juxtaposing two unexpected styles (she fuses blackout work with botanical imagery inspired by Dutch Masters beautifully) or offering a unique tattoo curation service in which she doesn’t actually tattoo, Garcia isn’t afraid to take risks. What else is up her sleeve? We tracked her down to find out.
