Mangaluru: Praveen Gowda of Tribal Tattoo, never imagined that the ‘neo traditional tattoo’ he was sketching would bring him laurels. Tribal Tattoo, Mysuru emerged as the winner at the three-day Inksoul Bengaluru tattoo festival, the third edition, held at Manpho convention centre, Bengaluru on May 25, 26 and 27. The festival showcases the finest talents in a variety of creative fields from the contemporary to the traditional art form. The Inksoul Tattoo Festival is attended by hundreds of tattoo artists from all around the world.
Praveen Gowda said, ”It’s a proud moment for us and we would like to thank all who showed us love and support. Platforms like these are very encouraging and helps us better ourselves with healthy competition.”
The art of tattooing dates back to the beginning of humanity itself. People made tattoos to signify the importance of their clan, position or culture. As time passed on, tattoos became a more personal symbol, men and women tattooed symbols that mattered to them like names of their loved ones, zodiac signs, words that inspire them, etc. The art of tattooing has a unique way of giving meaning to just a simple sign or a word making it an experience. A tattoo is no more a mere design. It is a story, a person, an experience and alive. That’s exactly the concept behind the motivation at Tribal Tattoo.
About Tribal Tattoo:
Established in the year 2007, Tribal Tattoo has earned a monicker as the pioneers of tattoos in Mangaluru. Started by two enthusiastic youngsters Pradeep and Nagesh, the first two years were quite the struggle. ”Mangaluru as a new market was not quite open to the concept of tattoos. People still considered tattoos to be taboo back in those days.” says Pradeep, the pioneering tattoo artist of Mangalore.
”There was a lot of fear, inhibition and rumour mongering among people. It was a risky thing to get ourselves into, but even after 2 years of extremely low business, we decided to stay firm and dedicated. Initially, we had to rely on our friends but now, Tribal Tattoo is doing roaring business to the extent of being booked for the next 6 months!” says Nagesh.
How the name “Tribal Tattoo Shop” came into existence is a story in itself. Pradeep, who had gone to Nepal on a vacation happened to get a tribal tattoo inked on his chest. That was where it all began. This love for his tribal tattoo soon blossomed into a living brand of its own in Mangaluru and Mysuru.
They have customers coming in from across the globe. From youngsters to the elderly, people queue up at Tribal to get a tattoo of their choice inked for posterity. Some of the international customers include ones from the USA, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka etc. In fact, there was a time when two foreigners came to their shop and got ‘Swatantra’ (freedom) inked in Kannada.
”Often people come in with a rough idea of what they want, while sometimes people are absolutely sure of what they want.” says Monish Shetty, the professional tattoo artist at Tribal Tattoo. Whatever the case, the friendly staff here, make sure that all of them are welcomed, respected and given exactly what they want. From suggesting designs to coming up with unique designs of their own, the tattoo artists at Tribal do it all.
“In the past 10 years, I have seen a massive shift in the kind of tattoos people request. Earlier, it used to be religious in nature but now, people like to experiment with something that suits their personality.” adds Monish. There are several styles of tattoos ranging from Tribal, Polynesian, Samoan, Old School, Flash Art, Line Art, Geometrical, Biomechanical, 3D, Cover Up, Coloured tattoo etc.
Monish admits that the toughest tattoo was the one that took him a total of 10 hours to make. It was a mechanical tattoo, which consisted of a lot of shading work. Nagesh says that every day is a new challenge in terms of new designs and meeting new people, this process in itself is quite interesting he adds.
“Our artists have been trained by well known and experienced artists from Mumbai and Nepal. Our artists are good at free hand drawing and they are all from the art background. We believe a tattoo is a permanent piece of priceless art. Clients come to our shop with a picture or design in mind or they consult us to create the desired image. We use our artistic skills to advise clients on size, color, design and placement of their body art.” says Pradeep.
On the hygiene front, “Tribal Tattoo Shop” is very particular. They do not cut any corners when it comes to matters of health and hygiene. Fresh gloves and needles are used for every client and this is done right in front of the clients to make sure that they are aware of the cleanliness factor. The inking pens are all sterilized before every use. Vitamin A and D ointments and tattoo lotions of high quality are used. Natural pigmentation ink is used, so that it does not harm the body or skin.
While they presently do cover up tattoos, they are also in the process of introducing tattoo removal through laser technology soon, similar to the one Deepika Padukone had done during her Cannes visit.
Tribal is home to several happy repeat customers. At Tribal, they believe that as tattoo artists, it’s important to be a part of one’s story, journey and experience rather than just designing the tattoo. They say it’s a part of a person’s journey on earth, a piece of their success, a symbol of their love, their victory or just inspiration, but it is significant and one must own their tattoo with pride. A tattoo is a reminder of hope for a person, while they can’t seem to find any. It acts as a sign that people look for at the right time.
For those who have been wanting to get “inked” and have not found the motivation to take the step, here’s a place to not just get inked, but Tribal’ed! Welcome to the tribe.
