EVER since the discovery of cave paintings, human beings have loved this visual art from almost the beginning of time.
And when we see kids having fun painting one another’s face, it could be an indication of the desire to put art on human bodies.
A ‘Backpiece’ art from a woodcut print by Baxx Jordan.
Tattooing is one such art
Tattoos for tribal people in a traditional setting can also be symbols associated with their beliefs or social status.
The history of tattooing is actually very wide and complex.
Nowadays, most city folks only sport tattoos as fashion statements.
Other reasons include expressing individuality, describing personal tales, marking memories of life’s events or attributing their symbolic tattoo designs to some spiritual meaning.
A tattoo artist, who may also be called a tattooist, is one who does such body art for others as a business and, in some cases, as a hobby.
One tattooist who has more than 10 years’ experience under his belt is Baxx Jordan.
He noted there has been a noticeable increase in people getting tattoos in recent years — from both genders of various ages and occupations.
“Any stigma surrounding this ancient body art has long since faded. Perceptions of tattooing and tattoos have apparently undergone significant changes. More and more people have begun to appreciate tattooing as an art or a form of expression.”
A Tree of Life Women Backpiece using water colour, painted by Baxx.
Baxx said tattoos were certainly no longer about gangsterism, adding: “Nowadays, it’s not only men who like tattoos as more and more women are going for it as well.”
In fact, most art lovers are quite receptive to the idea of wearing a tattoo. To some, it’s like putting on a beauty accessory.
Baxx, who co-owns Blackout Tattoo Studio in Kuching, believed many tattoo businesses were doing well because the fad was getting more popular and many people had confessed having tattoos made them feel good and in the loop.
“It’s like they see a tattoo as having the ability to shape their identity in a unique way — a sort of special self-expression.
“And the fact that they want it permanently on their skin shows their commitment to it,” he said.
Cunning Fishes and Deceived Tiger using Acrylic, produced by Jona.
Into tattoo fray
An apprentice at the Studio, Yuen Kok Leong, observed that more and more older adults and retirees were also getting into the tattoo fray, with some saying they were just fulfilling the ‘little dreams’ of their lives.
He said elderly clients tended to go more for well thought out designs — something more meaningful.
Yuen has been an apprentice at the Studio for many years and is sticking to this profession because he is passionate about body art.
He and Baxx are participating in the festival themed ‘What About Kuching (WAK) 2018’ — the month-long festival where arts, cultures, and lifestyles of Kuching take centre stage.
Various artworks are on display at their joint 11-day exhibition, which kicked off on Sept 29 and running till Oct 9, titled ‘Tattooing Nature: An Exploration of Natural Aesthetics’ at the Old Court House.
The exhibition is part of WAK 2018 programmes.
An fibreglass artwork.
“Our exhibition gives people an opportunity to explore different art forms. Besides tattoos, our artists can do other different kinds of art and everyone gets to enjoy the experience of seeing the various types of intricate arts.
“Among the exhibits are ‘backs artwork with Borneo designs’ and ‘woodcut printing’, as well as oriental designs (Japan and China inspired), paintings, and woodcut blocks,” Yuen said.
Team of eight
According to Baxx, Blackout Tattoo Studio is a team of eight tattoo artists.
He and two friends started the Studio in 2017. The trio share the same interest in tattooing and tattoo designs.
The many artworks on display at the exhibition.
Why Blackout? To this Baxx replied: “Honestly, it has no special meaning. The word just popped into my head when I was thinking about a name. It got stuck and became part of the Studio’s name.”
Yuen attending to visitors’ queries.
He said his Studio used modern methods and machines and the tattooing was done quickly, neatly and hygienically.
“But surprisingly, there are clients, especially tourists, who still prefer the traditional hand-tapping method.
“So, we introduce tattoo artists with this special skill to them. The traditional method uses needles mounted on sticks and the ink is tapped into the skin.
“Most of the tourists who want traditional tattoos choose Iban designs. They want to have the tattoos as souvenirs from Sarawak. It makes them feel the tattoos are more meaningful than the modern motifs they can get anywhere — even in their own countries,” he noted.
rRay preparing the offset ink for woodcut printing.
Artwork quality
One of their fellow tattooists with a uniquely spelt name — ‘rRay’ — from Sabah, said the quality of the artwork was very important as it could distinguish a good tattoo artist from a sloppy one.
“So, before doing a tattoo, some research is needed. You have to look through the portfolio of the tattooist. As with a lot of things, a person’s previous works speak volumes.
“The look and presentation of the shop can also give a clue to the type of a tattooist you will get. A hygienic and clean environment is a very important criterion as well,” rRay stressed.
He added that he loved doing “blackwork tattoo” — a type of body art that only uses thick black ink to draw neo-tribal patterns and other geometric shapes.
“This type of tattoo uses just true black colour — no shading, no blending. I also love woodcut printing, the oldest technique used in fine art print-making.
High pressure is required — either stepping on the carved woodblock or pressing hard on it, until the image is fully transferred to the fabric.
“An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood, leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts.
“How long it takes to complete the work depends on the type of designs.”
According to rRay, there are many ways to make a print. For him, it’s placing the carved woodblock on a flat surface and then inking it all over. After that, the fabric or paper to be printed on will be laid on top of the woodblock.
High pressure is required — either by stepping on it or pressing hard on it until the image is fully transferred to the fabric.
rRay said among the different tattooing categories were Black-and-Gray, Borneo traditional tattoo, Chinese calligraphy tattoo, new school tattoo, old school tattoo and portrait.
Everyone will have his or her own reason to pick a particular type of tattoo.
“Our job is to do what our clients ask for and not be inquisitive unless our advice is sought,” he added.
To know more about the tattoo exhibition at the Old Court House, contact Yuen via 012-892 5003.
The fabric is placed under the sun for a few hours or half day to allow the offset ink to dry completely. The process can take up to a whole day indoors.