Every Tattoo an Experiment
By Tsering Tenzing Ghale @ Story Of My Tattoo
¨One day a young Russian boy came to an old-man tattoo shop. The young boy wanted to get a tattoo in Japanese words; Brave, Strong, Power and Money. The artist accepted the idea and asked the young man to show up the next day. The young man did as told. The teenager got his first tattoo on his shoulders. Year later, he participated in the Kendo competition in Japan. There were dozens of other participants in the changing room. When he got his suit off everyone laughed and some had tears because it was very funny. The confused athlete asked one Japanese why everyone laughed. The Japanese said you have the weirdest tattoo we have ever seen. The tattoo read ¨Look Guys The Big Nose Barbarian Decided To Play Samurai¨. Japanese are very polite but they could not handle the tattoo. The young man was a stupid person. He should have studied the artist more carefully. The artist is highly respected in Russia. He has spent many years in Japan to study the language, culture, tattoos and people. Tattoo is a very serious thing. It stays with a person forever. And stupid tattoos are an insult to an artist.¨, shared Russian artist Andrew.
Currently, Andrew is in Nepal as a guest artist in Ink´s Inc. Tattoo, Thamel. He had began tattooing since the age of 13. His first client was a 12 year young. It was cross design. He used homemade machine for the project. It was made from guitar string, engine from a toy car and inks of gel pen.
Soon he became famous in his town. Older boys came to him for tattoos. He inked each one of them. They all paid him well. He was happy. He did it for fun like everyone else who got tattooed for fun. Everything was for experiment for him. He had no access to any internet and had zero knowledge about tattoos. He just did what he saw and what he could think off in those days. Soon he inked the Russian armies for two years. He had no idea what he was doing. He just did it because people asked for it. He had no plans neither any idea what he was doing.
After the university, he joined a diploma course to be a surgeon. He completed the course. He did his internship and got certified. But he never went on as a surgeon. He recalled, ¨I do not like to tear humans into various parts. I hate violence. One time, a man asked me to takeoff the knife stuck on his head. He had gotten into a fight. The man said, ¨Take the knife out of my brain. It is not comfortable.¨ I freaked out and ran as far as I could. It was too much for; too much cruelty, not best work and people always try to hurt other people.¨
¨Why did you choose tattooing as your profession?¨
¨No, I did not choose it. I hated being an artist. But the profession chose me (We both laughed out loud). There is good money and it is much more interesting than a surgeon work. Before I joined the surgeon course I worked for few studios where I got really good. I liked it. Now also I like it.¨
¨How did you get involved in Ink´s Inc. Tattoo?¨
¨I have traveled many countries. I was in Europe and also America. Then an Australian student who had a tattoo shop in Bali, Indonesia called me to work there. I went. I worked for six months. It was too much for me. There was good money ($1000 a week) but bad work. It is a very touristy place. And all tourist from rich countries wanted small tattoos; boyfriend´s name, their own name, cross, butterflies, little mountains, tattoos in inappropriate parts, husband´s name, and so on. Nobody wanted good tattoos with details. They all wanted shitty tattoos. So I decided to go far away from Bali. Then I landed in India. It was the same in India. People wanted small tattoos and no meaning. I only inked their designs. The studio I worked in India advised me to go to Nepal. The studio connected me to Ink´s Inc. Tattoo. I am very thankful to both the tattoo studios.¨
¨How many clients have you inked in Nepal till date?¨
¨It has been more than a month now. But I had only inked three clients. Here there are very less clients. And less money. But very good people; artist Binay, artist Kovit, artist Kamal, artist Timo and everyone I have met so far. Nepal has very good people with warm heart always ready to help. I love it. The money I make as a guest artist hardly covers my daily expenses. That is why I keep myself busy in the studio to cut down my daily expenditures. Sometime I wonder ¨what wrong have I done that I am in this condition¨. I am machine; I don´t like to sit idle. I want to tattoo people for free because I need to function daily.¨
¨What was your first tattoo?¨
¨I got a tribal tattoo. I was 13 I think. I got it after the school lesson. There was no tattoo studio in my town at the time. It is a sin to get inked. But I got it and I like it. I did not have any idea why I got the tribal design. The ink used was that of a gel pen and the needle was made from the guitar string.¨
¨Have you inked any tattoo yourself?¨
¨Yes (Showing his leg). It is a Dali painting. I did it myself. It is a simple shades. It was an experiment. I was 15 years young. I did not know anything so I just tried it out and I wanted to see how the shadows look like. It is a traditional tattoo; no dots. It is just simple handmade tattoo with simple needles.¨
¨Do you have a tattoo that you feel is very important to you?¨
¨I got a Maori Tattoo in Berlin, Germany. It was a six hour session. It was very painful and funny to me. They used very tradition methods; dates about 6000 years. Even today, they only use the ancient methods and instruments; wooden hammer, fish bones, needle sticks; no any change in the method and instruments. It is just like it was. The art comes from New Zealand and the artists were from Belgium. A lot of people held me on the ground and the artist went ¨bam bam bam bam¨. The tattoo is referred as a protective and healing sign.¨
¨Any best moment in Russia?¨
¨Russia is very good. I worked in many famous studios. Tattoo in Russia has become very famous. Everybody likes tattoos. My famous client was Dmitriy Nagiev. He is more famous than President Putin. He has very simple tattoos but very meaningful. I inked him about five tattoos; black work, stripes, and some Latin language phrases. Russia has good platform for artist and good money; quality work and cash money.¨
¨Which country do you like the best for work and money?¨
¨Germany is the best. They respect artist and pay very good money. I can make huge amount easily. Bali gives only good money and Russia only good work. But Germany, they give you both; work and money. I want to go to Germany and work there for long as long as I can (Laughing). The funny thing is that rich countries citizen want stupid tattoos while poorer countries citizens want more meaningful and quality tattoos.¨
¨Any crazy client you had?¨
¨Many crazy clients. I had a 16–17 years young girl. It is illegal to tattoo someone who is below 18 years in Russia. She wanted to get a tattoo real bad. I got her design. I did not sleep couple of nights to do quality work. But after I made one straight line, she cried. She cried as if she was going to die. I consulted her. I went out to smoke a cigarette so that she can think whether to continue or not. When I returned back she hid under the sofa. I tried my best best to calm her; medicines, water, juices and so on. But she hid under the sofa the whole day crying. At the end of the day, I moved the sofa and threw her out of the studio because she was crazy; really crazy. I was not angry with her. She could have said ¨No¨ and walked off but she did not. She spoiled my day as well as my business.¨
We both laughed our lungs out. Sometimes crazy clients show up. Another crazy and funny incident happened when a client touched an artist´s girlfriend on the wrong part of her body. Artist Andrew and the friends, inked him on the forehead ¨COCK SUCKER¨ to teach him a lesson. They made the words so big that it could hardly be removed. They had planned to make the tattoo forever; no technology to remove it. The funnier and stupid client was the ¨PINK LADY¨. She came to the studio on a pink scooter with a tiny dog in pink miniskirt. She looked gorgeously sexy and beautiful colored in pink.
She wanted a girly butterfly. Artist Andrew explained her about tattoos clearly. She got the idea. And she got the tattoo she had asked for. ¨Please do not keep it dry. Apply cream twice in a day at minimum.¨, said artist Andrew. She went off with a sign ¨Yes¨. The same night she rang him at 3:30 a.m.
¨Yes, who is it?¨, he replied to the call in sleepy voice.
¨It´s me. I had applied cream on the tattoo after every two hours. I want to sleep. Can I sleep.¨
She was in tears. She was nervous and didn't know what to do. Now you see! Is it not funny, isn't it? Some people never listen to instructions carefully. And their past actions always pay today.
One amazing tattoo artist Andrew has is the black tattoo. He said, ¨People do not get black tattoos without any reason. Black tattoo are inked for cover ups. More than 20 artists had worked on my right arm yet it is not complete (We laughed louder but in surprise).
¨What is the neck tattoo about?¨
¨I was 16 when I got it. I was drunk. We had a house party in my friend´s house. The next day when I washed my face I was shocked. I said to myself, ¨No, no no no … not to me.¨ But it was on me. I could not do anything. I could not remember anything. I have one last laser session to go through. I had done six laser session till date. It will be completely erased after the last one. I do not like it. I did not want it. I was drunk, you know? I was happy because nobody cared about it even in school. But it is okay with artist; things like this happens.¨
It was an amazing time with artist Andrew. He is very creative with lots of ideas and interesting stories. He said, ¨If I had better English I did share many interesting stories with you. But I do not. Someday I think.¨ We laughed about it. But not the last one. We laughed about many funny and crazy customers stories. And yes of course the above customers ,too.
Findings:
Dmitry Vladimirovich Nagiev is a Russian actor, TV-host, musician, showman and radio host. In 1991, graduated from the Leningrad State Institute Of Theater, Music And Cinematography. (Wikipedia)
Kendo is a Japanese form of fencing with two-handed bamboo swords, originally developed as a safe form of sword training for samurai. (google)
The Maori are indigenous people that originated in New Zealand. They have a form of body art, known as moko but more commonly referred to as Maori tattooing. The art form was brought to the Maori from Polynesia and is considered highly sacred. (google)
The Spanish painter Salvador Dali remains one of the most controversial and paradoxical artists of the twentieth century. Dali was a great artist who was a great self-publicist and showman. The combination was an irresistible formula for success. Born in 1904, most of the works he did revolved around painting, sculpture work, and he worked as a graphic artist and designer as well. During the course of his career, he experienced many different art forms, and experimented with a few styles, allowing him to further his points of expression, and the design pieces which he created during the illustrious and extensive career that he had.
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