Lokesh Verma

Tattooing is an Art

At 19, he introduced tattoo artistry to India and today is an award-winning and an internationally experienced artist who owns Devil’z Tattooz. Meet Lokesh Verma who shares that despite the meteoric rise, his journey has not been easy.

The first step of the journey began when 14-year-old Lokesh Verma won the first prize at a painting competition in Japan. For someone who has been passionate and fascinated by art, it is not surprising that at age 19 he decided to experiment and excel at tattoo artistry. And guess what - an MBA by education and owner of Devil’z Tattoo by passion, Verma also holds a Guinness world record to tattoo the maximum number of ags on a human body.

What is your body of work like?

I have had the privilege of working with some of the finest talents in this industry – from Paul Booth’s Last Rites Tattoo Theatre & Gallery in New York to Nikko Hurtado’s Black Anchor Tattoo in California. My predilection for inking bodies has allowed me to work in over 15 countries. With a concrete business plan in hand, I am now planning to dot the skyline of the city with his studios. Extremely particular about hygiene, Lokesh follows European standard to avoid contamination or infection.

What do you think about the tattoo industry in India?

It is at a nascent stage. There are many studios and artists but a regulatory body is not there, and somehow tattoo artistry is still not a popular career choice. Tattooing has transformed over the years; the machines we use now are more sophisticated and hence, allow an artist to experiment with style and design. The pandemic has affected us badly given that our work requires physical proximity.