A tattoo convention sought to bring together artists and enthusiasts on the same platform. Several international tattoo artists participated in the event.
When Shibanii Shah got her first tattoo, her mother stared at her in disbelief and feared the worst. “She was worried that I was turning into a junkie,” laughs the 25-year-old tattoo enthusiast who recently organised the first of its kind tattoo convention in the city.
“Tattoos are a form of art and drug peddlers and rebels aren’t the only ones sporting them,” adds Shah who decided to give tattoo art’s punky and rebellious image a makeover by lending it some respectability. And that’s how the idea came about for The Indian InkTattoo Expo 2011 where nearly 50 tattooists participated.
“The art form is not very popular in India though three out of five Indians either have a tattoo or would like to have one,” said Shah who also owns an event management company. And in order to fill the gap between demand and supply, she organised the event to give enthusiasts access to tattoo artists and their art.
“Despite there being a big market for tattoos in the country, there is very little information available about where to get one,” she said, adding that Mumbai alone has more than 800 talented tattooists while Delhi has over 1000.
The convention sought to bring together artists and enthusiasts on the same platform. Amongst the tattooists that participated in the event were Mohan Gorang from Nepal, Abhinandan Das from Kolkata, Nick Sharma from Ludhiana and Johnny from Singapore.
Besides providing information and counselling sessions for tattoo enthusiasts, the convention also sought to help create a database of artists in the country while discussing the technique and protocol to be followed during tattooing. There were also seminars on latest techniques including machine tuning and discussions on coloured tattoos.
“India does not have regulations or guidelines for tattoo artists. And not everybody who opens a shop and sits with a needle is a good tattooist since there are issues of hygiene and risk of infection to be taken into consideration,” said Shah who has plans to take the tattoo convention to other parts of the country beginning with Goa.
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