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17.4.13
BUSINESS NEWS

Moneytalks
Tattoos enter the mainstream
Once an underground art form, tattooing is now truly in the mainstream and is big business. EMILY MURPHY reports.

n April 27, Forbury Park Raceway hosts the second Tattoo and Art Show. Last year was a 1500-strong sell out. This year an extra 250 tickets are on sale for an event which once more looks like being at capacity. The stigma of tattoos looking trashy and cheap is a thing of the past. Now, getting inked up is an art form, just like any painting or drawing. Show organiser Macaela Manuel said she was inspired by similar shows in the North Island and wanted to provide something for this end of the country. Despite the economic downturn, tattoo artists have continued to thrive in recent years. Manuel, who also manages Visual Intelligence tattoo studio, said in 2009 her husband Aaron Manuel had an eight-month waiting list of clients. Now, he has a two-year waitlist and is not taking any more bookings until the end of 2014. The most up-to-date statistics show one in in five adult New Zealanders have been tattooed, with the rate rising by 36 per cent for the younger generation. Peoples views on tattoos had changed in recent years, Manuel said. People are going for bigger, more artistic pieces with lots of detail and depth.

Fast facts
Dunedin Tattoo and Art Show. Forbury Park Raceway, April 27, 10am start. The show will feature a tattoo competition, retail and artwork booths. Judging begins 12.30pm. D Scene has a double pass to the show to give away. Email editor@dscene.co.nz with tattoo and art show in the subject line to go in the draw.

They are thinking through their designs and not just looking at a magazine like they used to. The younger generation, on the other hand, often opted for words and quotations as opposed to visual designs. Another Dunedin tattoo artist, Silas Waring said the boom in business was partly to do with the internet, which had raised peoples awareness of the artform. Its a great visual referencing system for people wanting to get ideas. Social media platforms like Facebook had greatly enhanced his ability to interact with his clients, Waring said. Like Visual Intelligence, a customer cant just walk into Warings studio and get a tattoo: he also had a waiting list of bookings to work his way through before new clients can get their tattoos done.

While tattoos might be a great way for people to express themselves, Macaela Manuel warned people who wanted a tattoo, to take the decision seriously. If youre getting a tattoo you should stop and think: will I still be into that in two years time? she said. What a lot of people dont realise is that tattoo removal can be a lot more painful and more expensive than getting a tattoo.

The crowd roars: Visual Intelligence tattoo artist Aaron Manuel inks a fierce dinosaur onto a clients leg.
Photo: EMILY MURPHY. 627862169