Inked Talk

The 2009 Singapore Tattoo Show kicks off this weekend, January 9 - 11 at the Singapore Expo.  Showcasing tattoo artists and industry experts from around the world, this convention is the first of its kind in Singapore, and thought to be among the largest tattoo conventions in Asia.

Convention highlights include guest artists Chris Garver of Miami Ink, horror master Paul Booth of Last Rights Tattoo in New York, and Bob Tyrell of Night Gallery in Detroit.  While the guest lineup sounds like a typical large American tattoo convention, it is anything but that.  Thailand’s Reverend Ar Jahn Tong, one of the most respected Thai Buddhist Elders in Asia,  is making a special appearance to educate conventiongoers on the spiritual aspects of tattooing.

Of course, typical tattoo-convention fare will abound: tattoo contests, trade seminars, and live tattooing are all a part of the show.  This convention should prove to be anything but typical, as vistors will also be treated to world-renowned Lion Dance and Dragon Dance performances.

Convention organizers hope that the convention will help change perceptions about tattooing in Singapore by highlighting the tremendous amount of skill and artistry involved in tattooing.

“The tattoo show is an event that we know will draw different and varied visitors, keen to be educated, experience the art and be entertained. Some enthusiasts travel around the world to take part in tattoo shows, it is a time in which this art is experienced on one’s own skin and, it is difficult not to be affected by the unique atmosphere that makes tattoos a very familiar and easy form of body art for everybody’” said Kirby Lian from Utopia Studio, the Official Event Partner who is also the show’s inspirational mentor.

To learn more, visit the 2009 Singapore Tattoo Show’s Official Site:

The Brew City Tattoo Convention was in full swing this weekend.  Inked Talk takes a look at Milwaukee’s only annual tattoo convention

The Good:

There was a lot of great body art on display.  From the artists’ samples to the ubiquitous flash books to the ink being done at the convention to the attendees, tattoos were literally everywhere.    Japanese traditional tattoo aficionados were treated to the work of North Star Tattoo of New York City.  Sailor Jerry fans just had to delight as it seemed that about every other booth was hawking Sailor Jerry flash or Sailor Jerry inspired work.  Body jewelry booths, though far fewer in number than the tattoo booths, presented an amazing range of jewelry not typically found in the average body piercing shop.

There was more to do than shop and gawk at the ink.  Performance artists ranging from burlesque to suspension and music put on shows throughout the day and tattoo artists gave seminars on technique, for a fee.    Tattoo contests were open to all, with enough categories to ensure that everyone who wanted to could display their ink for the judges.

The Bad:

With all of the good, there were some negatives as well.  The most glaring problem was the space in the main hall, particularly during the tattoo contests.  The artists and vendors were set up in the main room of the convention, which is also where the tattoo contests were being judged.  This caused a huge amount of congestion at one side of the room which made it difficult for people who weren’t interested in the judging to move around and look at the artists’ work.  The sheer amount of people watching the tattoo contests combined with the room arrangement made it difficult for most people present to see the tattoos that were being judged, so sadly unless you were a judge or were lucky enough to be right near the judging area, you missed a lot of the contest.  Due to the number of people wanting to participate in and view the contests, they would have been better held in a separate room instead of clogging up the already busy main hall.

The Weird

Granted, weird should be expected at a tattoo convention, but when something stands out as truly weird it merits mention.  I need to preface this by saying that I love to see the nude female form nearly as much as most red-blooded men do, and my mention of this at all has absolutely nothing to do with me being offended.  I was far from offended at anything I saw on Saturday.  The “tits for t-shirts” contests are fun for everyone involved, and if a woman wants to show off her goodies in exchange for some freebies, good for her and good for those lucky enough to watch.  While the convention did an adequate job of making sure that the children present weren’t close to the action for these contests, these contests were probably better kept in an age restricted area of the event to ensure that the convention doesn’t get negative attention from the community that hosts it.

In all, the event was a lot of fun with plenty to do and see.  If you couldn’t make it to this year’s convention, you can still see a lot of the great ink by visiting Black Sheep Photography’s photo gallery from the convention.  Lynn Allen of Black Sheep was in attendance for the entire convention and got some excellent photos of the whole event.

The ninth Brew City Tattoo Convention hits Milwaukee today at the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport at 4747 S. Howell Avenue. The event starts at 2 p.m. on Friday and winds down at 8p.m. on Saturday. Attendees can look forward to a huge list of confirmed artists in attendance, as well as vendors and lots of entertainment throughout the Convention.

If shopping for new ink or supplies doesn’t keep you busy, the Brew City Convention still has you covered. Look for Miss Maya Sinstress’ burlesque show, body suspension performances by Nu Ethix, music by “Daredevil Musician” The Enigma, and much more. Tattoo enthusiasts can show off their ink in one of several dozen tattoo contests running each day throughout the convention. Tattoo artists can attend one of several tattoo seminars, such as Gut Level Tattooing 2 with Jeff Gogue, and Techniques in Black & Grey with Marshall Bennett.

Ticket prices are $15.00 per day, or $35.00 for the weekend. Children under twelve can attend for free.

Full details of the event are available on the Tattooed Kingpin website.

Tattooed Kingpin’s Milwaukee Tattoo Arts Convention is right around the corner. The event, sponsored by Eternal Tattoos Inc., begins at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 3, 2008 at the Wyndham by the Milwaukee Airport (4747 S. Howell Avenue in Milwaukee). The convention promises over 200 tattoo artists, live performances, freakshows and sideshows, art galleries, art seminars, and more over the three-day event. Tattoo enthusiasts may be interested in the tattoo contests running every day, with a ton of categories and prizes on Saturday.

More details about the event are available here, and the Milwaukee Tattoo Convention also has a Myspace page.

Inked Talk will feature coverage of the event in the days that follow the event, so stay tuned

Sometimes those tattoos just don’t turn out quite as nice as we had hoped. And sometimes, something that sounded like a great idea on a Saturday night after a round of drinks doesn’t look so pretty on Monday morning. But the beauty of tattoos is that they are there, for better or worse, for a long time. And sometimes it seems like some ink just exists to set an example of what NOT to do.

WNOR FM99 is sponsoring a bad tattoo contest, and their website has pictures of the worst offenders so you can cast your vote. Even if the station isn’t in your listening area, the website is definitely worth a click because there are quite a few tattoos pictured that make you hope that both the artist and the tattooed were quite drunk at the time. The votes will be counted and the winners will get gift certificates to a tattoo shop - assuming that their horrifying ink hasn’t frightened them away from tattoos permanently.

Want to see a few of the highlights? Of course you do.

I think that one is pasta. Sitting underneath a house:

There has to be a story behind this one. Does anyone recognize that face? Or that butt?:

Kids shouldn’t use tattoo guns. Neither should some adults:

Is that an extra…leg? What IS that thing?

Does that say “pump ass” or “dump ass?” I can’t decide which would be worse.:

The ladies like my peniswrench:

It’s a…jellyfish? Curtain? Space invader?:

This is just a small sample of the wall of shame that is posted on the radio station’s website. There are plenty more on the station’s website, too! So cast your votes, and go thank your tattoo artist for doing a great job on your tattoo.

Cha Cha and Anxiety Gallery are hosting an art show to celebrate the darker side of carnival life this Friday, February 1, 2008. The festivities start at 8:00 p.m. at Cha Cha, 121 E. Mifflin Street in Madison.

Mitch O’Connell will be there signing his new book - Mitch O’Connell: Tattoos.

Nicolette Biscamp will also be there with limited edition prints. (If you are unfamiliar with her work, you’d be doing yourself a favor by checking out her Myspace page - great stuff!)

Along with Mitch and Nicolette, Capital City Tattoos will be there tattooing in you are inclined to get some ink, and other artists including howcasing original art by Patrick Fatica, James Brunner, Jessica Hobdell, Jared Deal, Nik Scarlett, “Kettle” and others will be showcasing their work.

Official details on the event are available on the Anxiety Gallery Myspace page.

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As always, I want to plug a fellow 451 Press Blogger. Today I’m plugging Darkside Rainbow, an extremely real look at LGBT life.

The Healing Art Foundation is sponsoring the first annual Annual Tats for a Cure Walk at Beach Park in Bakersfield, California to compliment their Tats & Art for a Cure Convention at the Double Tree Hotel in Bakersfield, on March 14 - 16, 2008. The walk is taking place on March 15, 2008.

Both events are being held to help in the fight against breast cancer through awareness, prevention, survival and research. For those who are too far from Bakersfield to join in the actual walk, a “virtual walk” is being planned through the Tats for a Cure Walk website.

“Tattoos Not Required But Greatly Admired.”

What a great cause!