Tattoo art has evolved, yet to get respect: Anil Gupta

Anil Gupta demonstrates his art at the tattoo workshop in Malad. Amit Chakravarty

Evolution of tattoo as an art form in India over the years was the focus of discussions last week at a workshop for tattoo artists from across the country. At the seven-day workshop at Aliens Tattoo Studio in Malad, one of the draws was a talk by Anil Gupta, a prominent artist in the tattoo industry for nearly 35 years. He spoke about advanced tattoo techniques. Gupta said that tattooing has evolved like other artwork, branching into several forms, including abstract, biomechanical, mythological, and many more. The participants also discussed how there has been an apparent change in the mindset of those getting their bodies inked.

“In India, the art form has traditionally been a gateway to be ‘cool’. Individuals got tattoos, with no particular meaning. People now want to get a tattoo that is an expression of their personal experience, an extension of their emotions and feelings,” said Sunny Bhanushali, who has been a tattoo artist for 10 years and specialises in the hyper-realism form of the art.

At the workshop, artists were given an opportunity to get creative and asked to come up with designs for full sleeve tattoos and body tattoos.

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“The focus here is on the concept. The art we design has to be symbolic, important and has to mean something to the wearer. The workshop has helped us overcome our fears by giving us the freedom to explore different rationales,” said Anmol Jeswani, a new entrant in the industry with three years of experience.
The participants said despite tattoo art being a creative form, it has not earned the same respect as other art forms.

“It’s just like every story that can be revised again and again, and just like the emotions in a poem that can be expressed differently. Why then is tattooing treated differently?” Gupta said.