FLUIDITY
A NEW UNDERGROUND CONVERSATION ON MODERN TATTOOING
Instagram is trash. We've known it for a while, right? I'm sick of being censored there, especially as meaningful discourse declines, and commercialization rises. So, it's time to pivot the tattrx project again.
This new mailer will have monthly themes focused on trends and conversations in the modern tattooing community. I do accept submissions, but can't guarantee placement.
This project will be an unpaid labor of love, as it's always been. I'll do my best to serve you a collection of work from around the world that is risky, compelling and uncensored. Welcome to tattrx underground.
"2020" by Julim Rosa - Berlin
FLUIDITY
If there was ever a year to relax the rigidity of an aesthetic, 2020 was it. Some of the more interesting evolutions came from geometric tattooers who started warping their lines.
While they're not the first to play with this look, it is a first to see so many geometric designers pull a 180 in the same moment. Collective shifts in creative direction will never cease to fascinate me.
"Fun to break out of the tightness and restriction of geometry and go organic sometimes." - ROXX
Collaboration by Corey Divine and Eddie Rise (left) and 3/4 sleeve by Eric Stricker (right)
Fluid concepts by GAKKIN
PAINT AESTHETIC WAS NOT A FAD
Few tattooers hear "that won't hold up" like abstract artists specializing in acrylic, oil and watercolor simulations. When it first blew up in the early 2010's, traditional tattooers called it a regrettable fad. In reality, longevity of this style depends on the application and tools involved, just like any other style.
Longevity is also in the eye of the beholder, as some clients pursue a faded aesthetic that may break down over time. There is no universal standard of objective quality in contemporary tattooing, and it's a futile effort to argue with someone who fundamentally disagrees on that point.
Tattoos walk the line between art and commodity; while they can be critiqued as public works of art, they can only be appraised by the person who wears it.
Amanda Wachob recently shared this healed photo of a backpiece from 2012. Her paintings were also featured last Spring in the Contemporary Museum of Art in Denver, USA (below; tattoo ink and temporary tattoo paper on canvas)
MIXING IT UP
Most tattooers had to stop working for long stretches this year. It devastated a lot of their incomes, and we saw high profile studios close their doors. But, this community is versatile and quick on its feet.
Here are just a few of the products we got from tattooers who diversified their revenue streams in 2020. (And I wasn't paid by anyone to promote these things. I just think they're cool.)
Lina Tattoo Artist's sheer clothing is available here.
Handmade masks by Szymon Gdowicz are available here.
Julia Rehme's abstract paintings are available here.
"MELT" activewear by Cassady Bell is available here.
Let's close with some relevant street work by @_mindshapes_
Thank you for joining this new iteration of the tattrx project. It's so wild to keep shifting and changing, as platforms rise and fall. But artists don't stay suppressed, they just move locations. And to those of you who've been here since the beginning, I see you and I love you.
All views in this newsletter are my own. Nothing is currently sponsored. Full disclosure: I've worked with Julim Rosa, Cassady Bell and ROXX in the past, but they are not currently compensating me.
I welcome your feedback, corrections and contributions. All image copyrights are retained by the artists.
Buy me a coffee if you're a cutie!
PayPal: tattrx@gmail.com
With love,
Morgan