The roots for tattoos go back to ancient times as a highly popular art form — some simply to adorn oneself for the beauty alone, while for others it’s to represent rank and authority, and for some cultures to tell a story of a person’s life and achievements.
Competitions for tattoos were held for 15 nominations, with professional tattoo masters as jury, members of the Guild of Russian Professional Masters.
But tattoo competitions weren’t the only feature highlighted at the Moscow Tattoo Expo. There were magical performances, the pierce-men and extreme freak show presented body modifications, and masters demonstrated their talents for body art on beautiful, long, lanky women as their canvas.
The exhibition also included performances of funk, punk and rock groups from Russia and other countries, a fire show, erotic ballet, and body-modificators working in fashion and fetish with leathers and metals.
The international tattoo convention was held in Russia’s capital at the Russian Exhibition Center.
Blue Disease
You begin with something small on the arm, the wrist, an ankle or perhaps your hip — a tiny tattoo that will remain with you for the rest of your life. After the initial exhilaration wears off, you can’t resist the nagging urge for more complexity, to beautify more skin and thus succumb to the gnawing craving — you get another tattoo … and another … and another.
The tattoos will often follow some theme, with the ultimate result of a full canvas taking up an entire arm — called a ’sleeve’ — a leg, or full back. And it often doesn’t stop there. This addiction to getting tattoos is what the Russians call ‘the blue disease,’ named as such because the older tattoos done in the country had a bluish tinge to them.
The blue disease is actually a fairly recent development, as professional tattooing done in legitimate salons and with up-to-date equipment began — by the estimates of experienced Russian artists — no more than 5 to 7 years ago.
Prior to that, anyone wishing to get tattoos had to go abroad to countries like Germany and the US, or acquire one in a roundabout way — by becoming an inmate in Russia’s prisons. Tattoos earned while serving hard time would often serve as a sort of brand, containing information saying when, where and why the person had been sent ‘down the river.’
Since prisoners had no access to inks, they were forced to resort to methods of acquiring the base color, such as using the residue left behind after burning the heels of their shoes.
But today there is no shortage of the inks or equipment required to produce quality tattoos, and the Moscow International Tattoo Expo illustrates just that.
Visit Tattoo Expo where you will find a plethora of more tattoos, body art and piercings.
2008 Fresno Tattoo Expo April 26th & 27th
Moscow Tattoo Expo 2007
