Pig Tattoos: Some Artists Can Tattoo Whatever Moves

Posted on December 2, 2008
Filed Under Curious Tattoo Facts, For Tattoo Artists, Tattoo Designs | Leave a Comment

Have you ever tried to tattoo your pet? Have you ever wanted to have a machine that produces poos? Have you ever thought of getting x-rayed while having sex? Have you ever heard about Wim Delvoye?

After all that modern artists have done, you might think that nothing would be more shocking. After seeing Jeff Koons make statues of celebrities giving birth and Damien Hirst slicing up sharks. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Wim Delvoye and his controversial art of tattooing pigs.

Delvoye first began tattooing pigs in Belgium (where he is actually from) around 1992, at that time he inked dead pigs only. By 1997, he decided to explore the concept further. Thinking of the pigs as living “piggy banks”, that is to say as investments, he began to tattoo designs on live pigs. The animals are sedated first, and then shaved and tattooed all like a human being.

In 2004, Delvoye rented a farm in China, where he wouldn’t be hindered by prohibitive animal welfare laws and established his Art Farm project. Pigs are tattooed when they are young and the designs change and grow as the pig grows. Interested art buyers can purchase a pig, although Delvoye has noted that none of them have actually taken their pigs home to live with them. Some buyers have waited until the pigs dies of old age to have the skins turned into art, but others have preferred that the pigs be slaughtered and the skin stretched and framed. Delvoye has also exhibited some of the tattooed pigs as fully stuffed and taxidermied statues, sitting as he puts it “like a stone lion outside a Chinese restaurant.”

In September of 2008, Delvoye was scheduled to have eight of his pigs appear as part of the Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, but shortly before the exhibition was set to open, officials decided the pigs, tattooed with Disney designs and the Louis Vuitton logo, were in poor taste and the Art Farm exhibit was removed from the event. Delvoye was somewhat disappointed as he had interested buyers coming to China from Europe. The tattooed porcines can fetch as much as $160,000.

Apart from tattooing pigs, Wim has several projects which I consider to be worth seeing. You can find them in the artist’s official website. You can also read an interview with Wim Delvoye here.

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Tattoo Care: You Have To Care Before Getting It Too!

Posted on November 19, 2008
Filed Under Before You Decide, Curious Tattoo Facts, Tattoo Care | Leave a Comment

We all know how important tattoo aftercare is, but what about BEFOREcare? Choose a wrong artist, have a tattoo done in unproper conditions, with unsterile pins and by a drunk artist and you will be #*cked up for life.

The only way to tell whether an artist is good or not is to see examples of his or her work. Recommendations are helpful, of course, but the recommendations should carry infinitely more weight if the recommender is proffering a tattooed example of the artist’s work. There are plenty of awesome artists out there who, though you wouldn’t deny their skills, just don’t appeal to you with the style of tats they do. So don’t take anyone else’s word for it – get a look at the artist’s work yourself. Furthermore, and don’t start thinking we’re paranoid, but it’s best to see actual examples of the work on a live person who can tell you who did the work. Anyone can put up a bunch of pictures and claim authorship.

I bet you don’t want to get one of these:

You can meet people and talk to them about their tattoos at tattoo conventions, in the tattoo studios you visit and on the street or at a club, so long as you’re not an idiot about it. People are usually proud of their tattoos, and if you seem genuinely interested a lot of people will be happy to tell you about their ink. Tattoo magazines are also a good source for information. The photo-essays they publish about various artists are likely to be well-researched and legitimate examples of the artists’ work. The key is to shop around and find someone really capable, because the quality of your tattoo depends so much on the talent of the tattoo artist.

Also remember that despite the fact that infection from tattooing in clean and modern tattoo studios employing single-use needles is rare, in amateur tattoos, however, there is an elevated risk:

Remember that it is always better to pay extra 20 bucks for quality and safe tatt rather than later on pay for the removal, being depressed about it or even have to visit a doctor and spend a fortune on treatment.

Be proud of your good tattoos, get safe new ones and take care!

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Places To Visit & Things To See (For 11.17.08)

Posted on November 17, 2008
Filed Under Curious Tattoo Facts | Leave a Comment

BMEzine.com: The Most Heavily Tattooed Mayor in America - an article about a mayor of a small town Campo, his life and his tattoos.

Tattoo-People.co.uk: London Tattoo Convention 2008 - The latest tattoo news from the 2008 tattoo convention.

Off Beat Ink: What Would YOU Do For a FREE Blackberry? - an article about a Blackberry-adict (probably, iPhone hating) guy and the incredible strength of his will for a new Storm… For free…

VanishingTattoo.com: The World’s 101 Hottest Women with Tattoos for 2007 - Anyone interested in celebrities’ lives will be pleased to check this one out.

Tattooblog.org: Wanna celebrate Obama’s victory with a tatt? - Can this be a beginning of a new tattoo fashion?

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Tattoo Patterns: A Real 3D Tattoo!

Posted on November 10, 2008
Filed Under Before You Decide, Curious Tattoo Facts, Extreme Tattoos, Tattoo Designs | 4 Comments

What is a man’s imagination? That is the question… So far our readers have seen so many tattoo ideas. But could you imagine such a tattoo mod? Click the image to enlarge: