Reykjavík Grapevine - 28.08.2015, Qupperneq 30

30 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 13 — 2015ART
To most people outside of the tattoo
bubble, the idea of a tattoo convention
can be confusing. What’s the point? “Ice-
land is very isolated,” organiser Svanur
Guðrúnarson tells me, “so we get people
from around the world that do different
styles but are really good at what they are
doing in that style.” At tattoo conventions,
a variety of artists gather in one location,
where attendees can watch live tattooing
or get some ink themselves.
“At the convention, Icelandic people
witness more styles, and it comes back
to us because then people want better
work,” says Svanur. In his view, the con-
vention has “upped the standard of tat-
tooing in Iceland.” Sesselja Sigurðardóttir,
a piercer who works at the convention,
adds to this: “They go there, see some-
thing and are like, ‘Wow!’ Later, they
come make an appointment.”
Miles and miles of style
The convention features a ton of styles
you won’t normally see in Iceland. For
instance, New Zealand’s Brent McCown
specialises in hand-poked Ta Moko,
which is the traditional style of tattooing
of the Maori people. Ta Moko involves
intricate and ornamented crescent de-
signs, and Brent pokes each dot by
hand. He’ll be at the convention, as will
Richard Feodorow from Sweden, who
creates picture-perfect black and grey
realism.
From Iceland, most of the tattooers
from Íslenska Húð-
flúrstofan, Bleksmið-
jan Húðflúr, Sweet
Hell Tattoo, and Tat-
too og Skart will be
attending, so it’s
the perfect place to
scope out each art-
ist if you’re consider-
ing getting some ink.
Look at their portfo-
lio, talk to them, buy a print, and most
importantly, get a taste of their process
up close and personal.
Nervous? Don’t be. Conventions
aren’t just for tattoo vets. Sesse tells me
they’ll be plenty of people there getting
their first piece, and plenty getting their
fifteenth. “It’s a good place to get ideas
for later on. Decide if you like or want
something,” she says.
So much tribal
The hallmark of all tattoo conventions,
though, are the competitions. There’s
one “Best of Day” category, which only
includes tattoos done at the convention,
but the others could be done at anytime,
anywhere: “Best New School,” “Best Or-
namental,” “Best Traditional,” etc. Svanur
points to my half sleeve as he lists them,
saying, “You could enter that if you want.”
Expect to see a lot
of ornamental work
and mandalas, which
Svanur, Andrés, and
Sesselja all agree are
very popular now.
When asked what used
to be popular in Ice-
land, all immediately
laugh. “Tribal,” Andrés
says with a grin, “a
whole lot of tribal, for a very long time.”
Things have been changing though.
Though all the artists agree that the Ice-
landic tattooing scene is usually five to ten
years behind the rest of the world, cus-
tomers have just began to get into larger
pieces like full sleeves and backpieces.
They are very pleased about this.
Tattoos are for the children
Sesselja and Andrés are particularly ex-
cited about the pin-up contest, which
was a big success at last year’s conven-
tion. This is not a beauty patent in the
Miss USA sense—no, this one is about
attitude. “You could be fifty kilos or ninety
kilos, it doesn’t matter,” Sesselja explains.
“If you’re sassy, you can win!” Andrés
continues, “There’s no age limit, there’s
nothing.”
Unsurprisingly, the convention is a
very popular destination for overseas tat-
tooers. “Everyone wants to come here,”
Sesselja tells me. “But we’re trying to get
the Icelandic tattoo community together—
so any Icelandic artist can just call and
ask for a booth—it would be best if that
happened eight months before the con-
vention, though.”
If you’re still worried—trust me, tattoo
conventions are not just bikers and rock
’n’ roll. Svanur, André, and Sesselja con-
tinually stress that the convention is for
families. “Entry is free for kids under the
age of twelve!” Sesselja notes. So start
thinking about what you want, ‘cause this
only happens once a year.
“There are already a hundred people waiting to get in,” or-
ganiser Andrés Hallgrímsson tells me excitedly, as we sit
down to talk. “We’re already booked out for next year.” He’s
discussing, of course, the fourth annual Icelandic Tattoo
Expo, which will, on September 4, 5, and 6, come to the
Súlnasalur lounge at Hótel Saga in Reykjavík’s west side.
With 55 international artists attending, tattoo competitions,
a pin-up contest, and a performance by burlesque/freak-
show artist Elegy Ellem, if anything will persuade you to fi-
nally get that backpiece, this’ll be it.
Words Hannah Jane Cohen
Photo Art Bicnick & Matthew Eisman
Back In Black
(And Grey)
The Iceland
Tattoo Expo is back!
PLEASED TO MEAT YOU!
When asked what
used to be popular in
Iceland, all immediately
laugh. “Tribal,” Andrés
says with a grin, “a
whole lot of tribal, for a
very long time.”
Hótel Saga icelandictattooexpo.comSeptember 4-6Icelandic Tattoo Expo