Marisa Kakoulas Archives

April 20, 2016April 21, 2016

Brighton Tattoo Convention Photographic Portraits

Our editor Alice Snape is getting excited about the next Brighton Tattoo Convention, here she takes a glimpse at just some of the faces who attended last year in a stunning portrait series, including some familiar faces from the pages of past issues of Things&Ink…

Portrait of Marisa Kakoulas, editor of needlesandsins.com

We LOVE tattoo conventions, here at Things&Ink, and one of the highlights in the tattoo calendar is always Brighton Tattoo Convention. Not sure if it’s the sea air, but there’s always such a friendly, party vibe! And it’s the perfect convention to meet up with friends, old and new. Nothing brings people together like a passion for tattoos, after all.

At last year’s convention, I had my photograph taken by James Hole for a portrait series capturing convention-goers and artists. The results are absolutely stunning and a real insight into the contemporary tattoo community. I think this is down to the wonderful nature and talent of the photographer James, who made me feel instantly at ease in front of the camera – I normally hate having my photo taken and he even managed to capture a natural smile (see below). The setting for the images was incredible! In a grand room in the Hilton in Brighton, which you can see glimpses of in each image behind the backdrop.

As part of the portrait series, some interviews were also filmed. They will be coming soon, so watch this space.

Portrait of editor Alice Snape

The next Brighton Tattoo Convention is 30 April – 1 May, which will hopefully mean the sun is shining (the convention is usually in February!) and in a brand-new venue, The Brighton Centre.

And we have TWO weekend tickets to give away, all you have to do is share one of the images in this blog post on Instagram and use the hashtag #BTCTIcomp. We will pick a winner this Sunday 24 April. Good luck and hopefully see you at the convention! We won’t have a stand this year, but we will be taking pics and enjoying the convention, so come say hello!

Some of our favourite BTC portraits are below… all these people have also graced the pages of T&I over the years…

Wendy Pham, cover star of The Identity Issue

Cally-Jo, cover star of The Anatomy Issue

Grace Neutral, cover star of The Modification Issue

Claudia de Sabe, cover star of The Launch Issue

Matt Lodder, art historian

Brian Wilson, cover star of Stripped Back 2/3

Tiny Miss Becca, cover star of The Celebration Issue

Rebecca Vincent, interview in The Love Issue

Andrea Furci, interview in The Art Issue

you can see more portraits on the Brighton Tattoo Convention blog

March 6, 2014

Panel Discussion: Women’s Ink

Margot Mifflin, author of powerHouse Books‘ Bodies of Subversion, and needlesandsins editor Marisa Kakoulas will host a panel discussion with some of the top women in the tattoo industry including Roxx, Virginia Elwood, Stephanie Tamez, and Amanda Wachob. The event is in New York tonight, and we wish we could be there.

Read Marisa’s blog post about why she was spurred on to put on an event like this here. There will be discussions about our bodies as a public space, as well as other issues being a tattooed woman – or man – raises.

See facebook event for more info.

RSVP at RSVP@POWERHOUSEARENA.com

January 14, 2014January 14, 2014

Black Tattoo Art

Black Tattoo Art II
Modern Expressions of the Tribal

As a lover of traditional and colourful tattoos, I approached Marisa Kakoulas’ (editor of needlesandsins.com) hefty coffee table book Black Tattoo Art, feeling like I was about to step onto unknown soil. My sense of unease was unwarranted, though, and as I delved into the pages of the book, I was transported into a monotone world of pure beauty. I was introduced to the work of masters – Roxx, Delphine Noiztoy, Loic aka Xoil and Simone Pfaff – each artist converting me to the dark side, my colourful collection of tattoos may have some black additions soon.

I wanted to get a sense of the history of this unique and iconic book, so I got in touch with author Marisa, who also edits tattoo blog needlesandsins.com, this is what she had to say:

‘When Edition Reuss Publishing approached me back in 2008, I told them I wanted to create a book on blackwork tattooing – work just in black ink – because it had not been done before. I believe that it’s tattooing in its purest form, continuing the traditions of indigenous tattoo cultures, even if the patterns and compositions are contemporary. So, the first Black Tattoo Art book came out in 2009, and continues to be popular because there still isn’t anything on the market that specifically pays tribute to this tattoo genre. Since the first edition’s release, the number of artists and the outcropping of different styles has grown exponentially, and so it was time to do a second volume.

‘There are many more artists in edition two, 75 of the best in black from around the world. There is also a new chapter on Celtic and Nordic inspired tattooing, curated by renowned tattooer Colin Dale. This chapter features stunning ancient designs, and in his introduction to the chapter, Colin offers some of the myths and lore behind the art. We also expanded the Art Brut/Abstract chapter, which gets the strongest reaction. I think that the work in this chapter is wild and fearless, and redefines what a tattoo can be.

‘But really, I love every work in this book, as if they were my own children. I believe blackwork is timeless – it doesn’t follow any trends, its ornamentation follows the lines of the body and enhances, rather than overwhelms, it. Personally, I’ve been getting tattooed primarily in blackwork for almost 20 years, and it has aged beautifully. I love my tattoos!’

Marisa also states that her ultimate goal, in all of the books that she has authored, is to present tattooing as a fine art form, to show the endless possibilities of body adornment, and inspire other amazing tattoos. Marisa, mission accomplished. This compendium of tattoos is stunning and truly the perfect addition to any art lover’s coffee table – whether a tattoo collector or not.

By Delphine Noiztoy — Tattoo by Delphine Noiztoy

BLACK TATTOO ART 2, by Marisa Kakoulas is published by Edition Reuss, and costs $199/£103.50. Purchase from amazon.co.uk.

This review was first published in The Celebration Issue of Things&Ink magazine. Purchase from our website thingsandink.com.