Art On The Skin – Heartwork Tattoo Festival 2016

The ‘Heartwork Tattoo Festival’ organised by TLC channel, filled Delhi with ink load of excitement and ecstasy on 2nd-4th December 2016, in Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex. The event witnessed eminent Tattoo artists from around the world namely Jay Freestyle, Fiona Coogan, Bethanie, Cori Henderson, Tuhi, Anns Komstadius, Stepan Negur, Tommy Gun etc. It started from 11AM to 9PM with live competitions, Tattoo making, iconic band performances etc. It was a collaborative effort of the spearheads of the Indian Tattoo Industry mainly by Lokesh Verma & Sameer Patange with sterling tattoo equipment suppliers – Tattoo Gizmo & Tattoo Empire.

The crowd at the Tattoo Festival was a mix of every generation; one could easily spot kids, teens, as well as adults, praising and admiring the art of Tattoo making. Although the event was first hosted in Delhi in 2015 which witnessed 60 Tattoo artists from around the world. The motive behind having such an event was to embrace the art of inking and society not judging people by their tattoos. To some people, this may come as a surprise, that tattoos possess a profound place in Indian History: from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in the North East to the barren deserts of Gujarat and also we know that piercings and body art like Henna tattoos or Mehndi are one of India’s oldest traditions.

What everyone needs to understand is that, Tattoo Making is an old practice – with spiritual implications in some tribal cultures – and is an important part of the society which needs to be appreciated as an art. Because of such colossal events, tattoos are beginning to carve a place for itself in the cultural aspects of society as an art. With the immense dedication by the organizers of ‘Heartwork Tattoo Festival’, India has created an international platform for the Tattoo culture to flourish.