New York art gallery, Throck Morton is showcasing a rare collection of photographs taken of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in a variety of settings. Some show the true love that her and Diego Rivera shared in what look to be private moments captured candidly on someone’s camera. Others show Frida in the garden of her Casa Azul, where she was born, grew up and eventually lived with Diego. We also get a glimpse into the pain that Frida was experiencing on a daily basis due to her poor health and how her pets gave her great comfort and joy in what must have been a difficult life.
Frida With Caimito de Guayabal, 1943
Frida With Itzcuintli Dog, 1949
Frida Winking, 1933
Frida And Diego Kissing, 1933
Frida And Her Ducks, 1948
Frida Wearing Tehuana Dress, Coyoacán, 1940
Frida Seated With Globe, Puente de Alvarado Studio, 1937
Frida On The Rooftop, New York, 1946
Frida Wearing Plaster Corset, Which She Decorated With Hammer And Sickle (And Unborn Baby), Coyoacán, 1951
Frida In San Francisco, 1940
Frida With Pink And Green Satin Blouse, Coyoacán, 1938
Sixteen-year-old Mikhaila Nokel from Brooklyn, is the creator of Cosmic Cuties, a series of cartoon style illustrations that spread self love and body confidence. Mikhaila is a body image activist who uses her drawings to help other girls who may be struggling with self esteem issues.
The Cosmic Cuties website describes the illustrated girl gang as:
Kickass space girls who fight sexism throughout the universe. They stand for feminism, body acceptance, and self love!
Our Italian Contributor Ilaria went to Rome Tattoo Convention, this is the diary of her visit, including the incredible artists she met along the way…
“The International Tattoo Expo Rome was held from 8th to 10th May 2015. I could not resist, so I went there on Sunday, the last day…
“It is one of the biggest tattoo conventions in the world, where you can meet 300 international tattoo artists, from St. Petersburg, Beijing and Austin to Las Vegas, Montreal and London. The artists are very prestigious, and the convention allows the curious to get tattooed by their idols: for example, Sarah Miller, star of the US television show Ink Master, the phenomenon of Los Angeles Matt Arriola or the artists coming from the famous Lowrider Tattoo Studios.
“During last year’s convention, actress Asia Argento had marched on stage showing off her brand new tattoo done by Marco Manzo, as a competitor in the 2014 Tattoo Contest. This year Marco Manzo is still bringing his Haute Couture tattoos to the tattoo scene – feminine black lace inked onto skin. Last February, he also presented his tattooed clients at Maxxi Museum, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome. It was a success and a great step towards the acknowledgement of tattoo as an art form.
“Next I met Miss Juliet and Fabio Gargiulo, who created two limited editions prints to help Nepal earthquake victims. The proceeds will be donated to the appeal, and they will go on selling these artworks at other tattoo conventions: Naples, Athens, Milan and Cagliari. I think this is a strong and wise action, and the tattoo community has once again demonstrated sensitivity to world emergencies.
Miss Juliet and Fabio Gargiulo
“Walking around, I spotted so many new artists and I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people. Here are four people I was super happy to see:
David Côté. He is a young graphic designer and tattoo artist from Montreal, Canada. His psychedelic tattoos are stunning, and he is really a kind guy. Here is what he created during the convention.
Denis Elice. He is from Turin, Italy. I think you should keep an eye on him. He has clear ideas and his tattoos evidence this. Whales, sailors, roses, these are only some of his subjects. His style is black traditional, but with a very personal touch.
Chad Koeplinger. Well, he is one of the greats. Here are some of his tattoos from the convention.
Nicoz Balboa: (yep, after three men, we have a powerful woman!) She is an illustrator and her works on skin are simply beautiful, I think she has the right sense of balance between colour and subject, and she is great in freehand tattoo.
“Tattoo conventions always make me feel at home, and I think this is the best feeling ever. No judgments but only love and admiration for tattoos and art (that, to me, are just the same thing).”
Eva Laflamme, editor of The Tattoo Tourist, invites you to take our tattoo collector quiz.
tattoo by Jeff Gogue
“Tattoos can say a lot about a person. Having a tattoo or tattoos, subject matter and placement all form an impression of an individual whether it is accurate or not. If you are reading this you probably have a tattoo or are thinking of getting one. What will your tattoo say about you? What do you want it to say? Ask yourself, “How will my tattoo/s represent me? ”
“Or don’t. Seriously – Do. Not. Get tattoos because they are cool as shit and you like them and you had some time and a hundred bucks to kill while you were getting your tires rotated and that is how you got your latest ink. I’m not making fun here – that is a completely legitimate way to ink up and the chosen method for a majority of tattoo enthusiasts. The sheer number of tattoo shops in the USA and abroad allows for a free-wheeling approach to acquiring ink that is unprecedented,
“Twenty plus years ago when I got my first tattoo I was living in Utah. (Don’t judge. It could happen to anyone.) I decided to get my first tattoo and choosing a shop was very easy. There was only one in a hundred mile radius. My choice of artist? Limited to the sketchy metal head with the tattoo machine and a terrifying case of the shakes. Now you can find shops in the most unlikely of places including some very tiny locations and upscale towns. Where you used to have to go to the sketchier areas to find a shop you can now go to a fancy mall and get tattooed right in the display window. Times have changed but what about the way people get tattooed?
“Back in the early 70s when tattooing started to emerge from the docks and honky tonks and into “polite society” the first tattoo conventions were held. These were serious-minded collectives of tattoo artists looking to share information, check out each others equipment (basically all hand crafted) and compare work. The non-artists in attendance were mostly wives and girlfriends of the artists (precious few women tattooing at this time) and a sprinkling of die-hard fans. Now many tattoo conventions are full-scale lifestyle events with bands, car shows, beauty pagents, acres of branding and merchandise, celebrity artists, fans and collectors. So what is a tattoo collector exactly and what is the difference between a person who loves tattoos and has a bunch and a tattoo collector who also loves tattoos and has a bunch. Welllll – it’s subtle.
“A tattoo fan will get a tattoo as the mood strikes based on proximity to a tattoo artist, cash in pocket and whatever looks good on the flash wall or idea they have swimming around in their head. A tattoo collector will get a tattoo based on extensive research of favourite artists, email stalking of said artists, long waiting periods of anywhere from six months to two years and an investment in their ink that would shock a lot of people who have tattoos.”
tattoo by Teresa Sharpe
Here is a check list to see if you are a Tattoo Collector
(If you answer “yes” to more than two you have got the bug)
1. You have a list of artists you would like to work with
2. Those artists have waiting lists or their “books are closed”
3. This fact causes you angst to varying degrees.
4. You are willing to let an artist dictate partially or completely what they will tattoo on you and where and how big
5. This causes you no angst – you are totally game
6. You are willing to travel more than a couple of hours from your home – even fly and even go out of country for a tattoo (If you answered yes to this one you have the bug – period. – no cure in sight!)
7. You don’t have as many tattoos as you want because you are waiting for that particular artist to agree to work with you
8. You can identify more than five tattoos artists’ work at a glance
9. Your friends and family think you are a little nuts about the whole tattoo thing. You sort of agree with them
10. You know most people “don’t get it” but that is fine. Some people collect Beanie Babies or schnauzers and you don’t get that but it’s their thing and that is cool with you. Serious tattoo collecting is YOUR thing. You are approaching your body like a curated tattoo exhibit and it is a fascinating, exasperating, thrilling and expensive ride. Buckle Up!
tattoo by Erin Chance
“How did you do? I said “yes” to all ten so I am definitely up to my neck in it. And does it matter if you said no to all of them? Does that make your tattoos “less than”? Oh hell no. Part of me wishes I could tap the brakes on my tattoo mania and just get some ink without having to move heaven and earth first. I chatted about Rock and Roller Andy Biersack’s “random” inkcollection last week and I wasn’t kidding when I said I thought it was cool as hell.
“That is one of the many things I love about tattoos and tattoo culture – it truly does embrace all types. From the middle age housewife with a serious tattoo collection to the young 20 somethings inking up on the fly with no plan and no worries. At the end of the day it all looks pretty damn cool. Unless you get a crap tattoo. That is not cool.
“So maybe you are not a “collector” but at the very least be a good tattoo consumer. Go to a professional tattoo artist who employs proper safety standards and knows how to handle a tattoo machine. Scratchers are called that largely because their line work is shaky as shit due to their lack of know-how. Tattooing well takes serious practice and skill to do it right. Don’t offer up your skin to a half-assed amateur. Make sure you are getting inked by a professional who takes pride in their craft – whether it is an elaborate full back piece or a simple word tattoo – then your ink will always be cool to the only person whose opinion on it truly matters – Your Own.
tattoo by Kelly Doty
all tattoos in this post are done by my short list of “dream” artists. If you help me get an appointment with one of them I will bake you your favorite cookies and Fed Ex them to you – I promise!
We sent one of our lovely readers, Ilaria, to the opening of Amanda Toy’s exhibition ‘Abracadhybrid’ at Parione9 to review the event for us…
“Last week I was at gallery Parione9, in Rome, near Piazza Navona. As soon as I walked in, my eyes were welcomed by a feast of balloons, colourful walls… and so many people! Here I had the pleasure to meet two lovely ladies, Marta Bandini and Elettra Bottazzi, who curated ‘Abracadhybrid’, the first solo show by Amanda Toy. Amanda Toy, as you may already know, is a tattoo artist from Italy. For over 18 years, she has reinterpreted old school with a really personal touch that is now very recognisable.
“On 10th April, she was in Rome to celebrate the opening of her chimerical art exhibition. Among nature, childhood and bright colours, you immediately get caught up by and feel involved with the artworks on the wall. It’s like falling into a dreamy yet very realistic world. It’s magic but also reality… Abracad(abra)… hybrid!
“It was one of those rare moments in which you could feel the power of art and the passion all around, because Amanda truly painted her deep emotions and feelings onto canvas. She found a way to bring together happiness and sadness. That’s what she always says: no rain, no rainbow! Seven canvases on which hybrid creatures live to make you think and wonder. Seven characters in which are hidden different themes, from love to fear, from strength to fantasy.
From left to right: Marta Bandini, Amanda Toy, Ilaria, and Elettra Bottazzi
“As Amanda Toy explained, her paintings are her own vision, a transformation aimed at personal growth. Canvases play with the observer, and those big eyes are a key to self-exploration. The lady faces on the walls, at first glance, seem funny and cheerful, but… if you take a closer look, they will reveal the stratagem of life: not everything is what it seems. Here, as in our lives, there is space for happiness and joy, as much as for sadness and nostalgia.
“By this artistic mean, Amanda lets you get a closer look to yourself and be aware of this equilibrium. Abracadhybrid is her spell for a magical life!”
You can see Abracadhybrid exhibition until 10th June 2015, at Gallery Parione9. You will also find Things&Ink mags, as the gallery has just become the first official stockist in Italy!
Frida With Caimito de Guayabal, 1943
Frida With Itzcuintli Dog, 1949
Frida Winking, 1933
Frida And Diego Kissing, 1933
Frida And Her Ducks, 1948
Frida Wearing Tehuana Dress, Coyoacán, 1940
Frida Seated With Globe, Puente de Alvarado Studio, 1937
Frida On The Rooftop, New York, 1946
Frida Wearing Plaster Corset, Which She Decorated With Hammer And Sickle (And Unborn Baby), Coyoacán, 1951
Frida In San Francisco, 1940
Frida With Pink And Green Satin Blouse, Coyoacán, 1938
