Column - by Dirk-Boris Rödel
Tattoo conventions or tattoo fairs were first held in the USA in the 70s and 80s. In Europe, too, there had already been occasional informal meetings of tattoo artists and tattooed people at this time, but it was only in the United States that such events took on an event character.
Originally, such meetings were not conceived as public events with commercial interest, but as meetings of tattoo artists who used these occasions to exchange techniques, tips, tricks and hacks - and of course to celebrate.
In a time long before the internet and in an environment where tattoo artists and tattoo fans were considered social outcasts, such meetings to exchange information were invaluable.
It was not until the early 1990s that the concept of tattoo conventions spread to Europe and underwent a few changes in terms of content and concept. The focus was now more on the visitors and on offering them an attractive event. The pure tattoo conventions were spruced up with show acts (mostly freak shows, rock bands and striptease performances), but above all, many organizers attached importance to offering their visitors a wide range of tattoo artists of different styles, who often came from abroad. This gave tattoo fans the opportunity to be tattooed by renowned tattoo artists from the USA, Japan, Eastern Europe or Australia during the convention weekend. I myself have always taken advantage of this offer and have been tattooed at such events by tattooists from England and South Africa, America, Japan or even Croatia, by artists that I would not have been able to visit in their studios so easily.
Even today, the organizers of high-quality tattoo conventions attach great importance to presenting their visitors with a selection of top representatives of a wide variety of tattoo styles, but of course, businessmen from outside the scene have now also discovered that money can be made with this concept.
In contrast to lovingly organized events where the individual tattoo artists are carefully selected and where attention is paid to an interesting mix of styles such as realistic and traditional, lettering and new school, tribal and anime, and where the quality of the exhibiting artists is paramount, such organizers simply cart together one or two dozen tattoo artists from the neighboring villages who would not even be invited by renowned conventions. For tattoo fans, a visit to such an event, which is often enough held by people who are not tattooed themselves, have no connection to the tattoo scene and are acting purely out of commercial interest, is completely unnecessary; the talent of the tattoo artists working there is usually manageable and the motifs and designs on offer are completely interchangeable. Anyone looking for individual tattoo art by creative artists will often search in vain.
It's a great pity that such hit-and-run events, which are torn down according to a formula and flood the venue calendar dozens of times with minimal effort, also harm the really well-made, traditional events. For anyone who has ever attended such a run-of-the-mill event, the topic of tattoo conventions is certainly dead for the time being, even if there are still many, many great tattoo events organized with a lot of passion by convention organizers with many years of experience that are more than worth a visit!
Text: Dirk-Boris Rödel
Graphics: Studio Marco - Jonas Bachmann
Column - by Dirk-Boris Rödel
Tattoo conventions or tattoo fairs were first held in the USA in the 70s and 80s. In Europe, too, there had already been occasional informal meetings of tattoo artists and tattooed people at this time, but it was only in the United States that such events took on an event character.
Originally, such meetings were not conceived as public events with commercial interest, but as meetings of tattoo artists who used these occasions to exchange techniques, tips, tricks and hacks - and of course to celebrate.
In a time long before the internet and in an environment where tattoo artists and tattoo fans were considered social outcasts, such meetings to exchange information were invaluable.
It was not until the early 1990s that the concept of tattoo conventions spread to Europe and underwent a few changes in terms of content and concept. The focus was now more on the visitors and on offering them an attractive event. The pure tattoo conventions were spruced up with show acts (mostly freak shows, rock bands and striptease performances), but above all, many organizers attached importance to offering their visitors a wide range of tattoo artists of different styles, who often came from abroad. This gave tattoo fans the opportunity to be tattooed by renowned tattoo artists from the USA, Japan, Eastern Europe or Australia during the convention weekend. I myself have always taken advantage of this offer and have been tattooed at such events by tattooists from England and South Africa, America, Japan or even Croatia, by artists that I would not have been able to visit in their studios so easily.
Even today, the organizers of high-quality tattoo conventions attach great importance to presenting their visitors with a selection of top representatives of a wide variety of tattoo styles, but of course, businessmen from outside the scene have now also discovered that money can be made with this concept.
In contrast to lovingly organized events where the individual tattoo artists are carefully selected and where attention is paid to an interesting mix of styles such as realistic and traditional, lettering and new school, tribal and anime, and where the quality of the exhibiting artists is paramount, such organizers simply cart together one or two dozen tattoo artists from the neighboring villages who would not even be invited by renowned conventions. For tattoo fans, a visit to such an event, which is often enough held by people who are not tattooed themselves, have no connection to the tattoo scene and are acting purely out of commercial interest, is completely unnecessary; the talent of the tattoo artists working there is usually manageable and the motifs and designs on offer are completely interchangeable. Anyone looking for individual tattoo art by creative artists will often search in vain.
It's a great pity that such hit-and-run events, which are torn down according to a formula and flood the venue calendar dozens of times with minimal effort, also harm the really well-made, traditional events. For anyone who has ever attended such a run-of-the-mill event, the topic of tattoo conventions is certainly dead for the time being, even if there are still many, many great tattoo events organized with a lot of passion by convention organizers with many years of experience that are more than worth a visit!
Text: Dirk-Boris Rödel
Graphics: Studio Marco - Jonas Bachmann
30.06.-02.07. Summer Tattoo Festival No.8
05.08.-06.08. Garda Tattoo Event
18.08.-20.08. Tunjo Tattoo Fest
15.09.-17.09. Millennium Tattoo Show No.6
15.09.-17.09. Cagliari Tattoo Convention No.13
22.09.-24-09. Bergamo Tattoo Expo
22.09.-24-09. Torino Tattoo Convention No.12
29.09.- 01.10. Urban Land Tattoo Expo Roma
29.09.-01.10. Mima Tattoo Convention No.5
13.10.-15.10. Genova Tattoo Convention No.16
14.10.-15.10. Roma Tattoo Expo No.23
20.10.-22-10. Ferrara Tattoo Convention No.5
27.10.-29.10. Passion Art Tattoo Convention Bolzano No.16
04.11.-05.11. Chiuduno Tattoo Weekend
10.11.-12.11. Ancona Tattoo Expo No.2
10.11.-12.11. Palermo Tattoo Convention No.9
11.11.-12.11. Trieste International Tattoo Expo No.14
11.11.-12.11. Catania Tattoo Convention No.5
01.12.-03.12. Florence Tattoo Convention No.13
08.12.-10.12. East Coast Tattoo Convention No.17
16.06.-18.06. Anime Tattoo Expo, Fire de Barcelona
30.06.-02.07.23 Asturias Tattoo Expo No.8
08.09.-10.09. Ibiza Tattoo Convention No.4
15.09.-17.09. Gaia Tattoo Expo No.3
06.10.-08.10. Barcelona Tattoo Expo No.26
27.10.-29.10. Alicante Tattoo Convention No.5
03.11.-05.11. Pamplona Tattoo Expo No.5
08.07.-09.07 . Bristol Tattoo Convention
22.07.-23.07 . Ink And Oil Tattoo Convention
29.07.-30.07. Great Western Tattoo Show
19.08.-20.08. Cornwall’s Tattoo Convention
19.08.-20.08. Tatcon Blackpool
26.08.-27.08. Big London Tattoo Show
16.09.-17.09. Buckley Ink Tattoo Convention
23.09.-24.09. Sheffield Tattoo Festival
30.09.-01.10. Tattoo Trojans Doncaster Tattoo Convention
07.10.-08.10. Locked up Tattoo Convention
14.10.-15.10. Halloween Tattoo Bash
11.11.-12.11. Wrexham Tattoo Show
02.09.-03.09. Tattoonika
14.10.-15.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Kapfenburg
21.10.-22.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Linz
28.10.-29.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Salzburg
01.09.-03.09. Lugano TI – Tattoo Convention No.24
16.06.-18.06. Epinal Tattoo Show
17.06.-18.06. Asian Festival Tattoo Show
01.07.-02.07. Caen Tattoo Show
08.07.-09.07. Rock Tattoo Spirit
15.07.-16.07. Sermaize Tattoo Convention
19.08.-20.08. Deauvile Tattoo Festival
01.09.-03.09. Montauban Tattoo Show
01.09.-03.09. Ink’n’Roll Chateauroux Tattoo Festival
02.09.-03.09. The 70’s Tattoo Show
09.09.-10.09. Jura Ink Park
09.09.-10.09. Dentelle Ink Alençon
09.09.-10.09. Champagne Tattoo Event
09.09.-10.09. Limoges Tattoo Show
15.09.-17.09. Univers Tattoo Convention
16.09.-17.09. Circus Tattoo Show
16.09.-17.09. Kustom Festival & Tattoo
16.09.-17.09. Perpignan Tattoo Convention
22.09.-24.09. Nantes Tattoo Convention
23.09.-24.09. Isere Tattoo Show
23.09.-24.09. Girl Ink Tattoo Show
30.09.-01.10. Perigueux Tattoo Expo
30.09.-01.10. La Maison d’Encre
07.10.-08.10. Convention Tatouage de Bourges
14.10.-15.10. Poitiers Tattoo Convention
13.10.-15.10. Chalons en Champagne Tattoo Show
20.10.-22.10. Evian Tattoo Show
21.10.-22.10. Biarritz Tattoo Fest
21.10.-22.10. Fabulous Tiki Weekend
21.10.-22.10. Bourg-en-Bresse Tattoo Convention
21.10.-22.10. The Team Miss P’ink Tattoo
28.10.-29.10. Cahors Tattoo & Geek
03.11.-05.11. Sugar Ink Tattoo Convention
11.11.-12.11. Love Tattoo Festival
18.11.-20.11. Potopistons Tattoo Convention
18.11.-19.11. Salon du Tatouage Clermont
25.11.-26.11. Troyes Tattoo Convention
01.12.-03.12. Merry Christmas Tattoo Show
02.12.-03.12. Nohell Tattoo Show
02.12.-03.12. Tarn Tattoo Convention
22.09.-24.09. Hans Christian Andersen Tattoo Convention No.6
27.10.-29.10. Nordic Ink Festival No.12
16.09.-17.09. Bulgaria Tattoo Expo VIII
25.08.-27-08. INKJUNX
02.09.-03.09. Craboutcha Tattoo Festival
02.09.-03.09. Tox Cit’Ink No.10
23.09.-24.09. Brügge Tattoo Convention No.2
07.10.-08.10. Skin Art Expo No.14
14.10.-15-10. Mons Tattoo Convention No.5
28.10.-29.10. Hasselt Tattoo Convention No.2
28.10.-29.10. Kempen Tattoo Convention No.3
10.11.-12.11. Brüssel Tattoo Convention No.13
16.09.-17.09. Haná Tattoo Expo No.5
18.11. Pardubice Tattoo Event No.8
28.07.-30.07. Maiden City Tattoo Convention No.11
29.09.-01.10. Dublin Tattoo Convention No.22
21.10.-22-10. Wild Atlantic Tattoo Show
25.08.-27.08. Baltic Tattoo Convention No.5 ^
21.10.-23.10. Vianden Tattoo Convention No.23
15.07.-16.07. Ink Panthers Tattoo Convention No.2
15.09.-17.09. Amsterdam Tattoo Convention No.17
23.09.-24.09. Ink and Cutz Tattoo Convention No.6
01.07.-02.07. Warsaw Tattoo Convention No.10
02.09.-03.09. Katowice Tattoo Konwent
16.09.-17.09. Opole Tattoo Expo No.5
14.10.-15.10. Hagen Tattoo Convention
25.11.-26.11. Lodz Tattoo Konwent
05.10.-08.10. Lisbon Tattoo Rock Fest No.16
01.09.-03.09. Constanta Tattoo Convention
20.10.-22-10. Bucharest Tattoo Convention No.11
06.08.-13.08. Ink Needle Tattoo Convention
25.08.-26.08. Minicon
01.09.-03.09. Stockholm Ink Bash Tattoo Convention No.26
