From pin-up girls and anchors, to clocks and lions; fine-line infinity signs and finger mustaches, to cyber-sigil and patchwork, tattooing is an art that is in constant flux and conversation with the changing world and culture around it. Originating as a practice used for religious and spiritual rituals, to mark status, love, and even used as a form of punishment, the practice of tattooing dates all the way back to Neolithic times. Largely due to the influence of Christianity and colonialism, the appropriation of the practice of tattooing rendered them a taboo in Western society. Though they were once associated with criminals, sailors, and even sex-workers, their stigma and popularized styles have shifted significantly over time.
So how did we get from criminals and sailors to baristas covered in “fine-line” flower arrangements? Are the stigma and taboos around tattooing still present? How have they changed and why? Local handpoke (a non-machine tattooing practice) artists and members of the Queer tattoo association Angels Collective, located in Providence, Kiki and Mimi, provided some insight into the current climate around tattoo taboos, and the current climate around tattooing in general.
KM (Motif): How do you feel being a part of a collective influences your perspective and experience of tattooing as a whole?
Kiki: Being part of a collective has taught me a lot about communication, organization, and empathy, all of which are skills that transfer directly to my personal tattoo practice. It has shown me an alternate way of what tattooing in a studio with peers can look like, other than the traditional shop experience that is largely illustrated in mainstream media.
Mimi: Being part of a tattoo collective has been life-changing! It cultivates a wonderful learning environment and an empathetic place to commiserate about some of the more challenging aspects of being a self-employed artist. I can’t imagine working solo again having had a taste of this sweet community fruit.
KM: What was your experience starting out as a tattooer? How did you find your way to Angels?
Kiki: I started tattooing out of my dorm rooms and apartments in 2017. Looking back, it was pretty lonely and I learned to tattoo through a lot of trial and error and whatever scant internet resources I could find at the time. In a lot of ways, I’m jealous of people who get to start practicing with a mentor; I could have learned the basics more quickly if I even just had a friend or acquaintance to bounce ideas off of. Even so, a traditional apprenticeship still didn’t seem like the right fit for me at the time. Traditional street shops didn’t always feel welcoming to me, especially as a queer and trans nonwhite person. I also wasn’t interested in learning machine tattooing, and handpoke apprenticeships were, and still are, white whales! I wanted to tattoo so badly that I decided to just tattoo alone underground and work with what I had, even though this path came with its own anxieties. In the summer of 2020, I met and did a tattoo trade with Littany (@littany) who ran Angels as a two-person private studio with Jessa (@twoconestattoo) at the time. Their lease was up soon, and she invited me to be a part of the next iteration of Angels that day. I had nothing to lose, and a few months later in December 2020, Angels Collective as we know it on Broadway opened with a multidisciplinary group of 7!
Mimi: In 2010, I started handpoking friends casually while pursuing my art degree. My public art practice before was mainly illustration/comics/ printmaking, but I eventually got pretty burned out working alone on that stuff and started taking tattooing more seriously in 2018, since the collaborative nature of the process nourished my soul in ways I was yearning for. Being more public about my tattooing practice naturally led me to meet other like-minded tattooers in Providence via Instagram, and that’s how I ended up in the Angels cloud.
KM: How would you describe your art style? How do you feel tattooing in general, or your specific style of tattooing, has been received by both fellow tattooers and clients? Have you noticed this shift or change over time?
Kiki: My art style is mainly illustrative flora and fauna with a touch of hand lettering. I try to keep things fresh and varied for myself because I tend to get bored from doing the same thing over and over again. I feel so grateful that people are able to connect with my way of drawing! Handpoking really hit a stride in the late 2010s when I was getting my start, which was also lucky timing for me. The technique started to break out of some heavy stigma (in the US/global west) and started to become mainstream, respected, and desired in ways previously unfelt. It’s exciting and totally deserved; there are so many great things about the handpoke experience and practice! Though I’m a little biased.
Mimi: I suppose I would call my art style mischievous, fantastical, folkloric dot work. Tattooing in general has certainly experienced less stigma over the years as more and more people from all walks of life embrace body modification.
KM: What would you identify as taboos around tattoos/tattooing? Do you feel this has changed from the time you started tattooing? Do you see the taboos/perceptions shifting around any specific styles of tattooing?
Kiki: Tattooing in general was, and to an extent still is, taboo — I know my parents were scandalized when they found out I was tattooing! But perspectives around this powerful self-expressive art form have changed so much in the past few decades. It’s so common to see tattooed people in the general public now that it usually goes unmentioned. It’s a rapidly evolving culture, and it’s exciting to watch it shift. There has been a huge influx in tattooers who specialize in niche personal style as opposed to the “jack of all trades” traditional tattoo trade practice. To me it feels like healthy outward growth of the medium. There is reverence and demand for all structures and styles within tattoo shops/tattooing. As far as what remains taboo within tattooing — tattooing hate symbols, disregarding informed consent, and unsanitary work environments.
Mimi: Hands, necks, and faces are probably the most taboo tattoo placements because of their obvious visibility, and it used to be that some tattooers wouldn’t even work on these areas if the client wasn’t already completely covered with ink. Nowadays it isn’t so uncommon for someone to hit the ground running with one of these in-your-face placements.
KM: What does it mean to you to be a part of Angels, or a tattoo collective in general? What’s your perspective on this versus working within a “traditional” shop?
Kiki: To be a part of a collective to me means a commitment to mutual respect and care. It means doing our best by each other and those who work with us by staying open to communication, learning, feedback, and adjusting course when needed. Sometimes making big decisions and handling all the tasks to keep the ship afloat as a group can be difficult, but I really wouldn’t want to have it any other way. Being in a collective, we have no “owner” or hierarchy within the resident artists. We can all work at our own pace with no outside expectations, and there is a lot of freedom in that! No one person is profiting off of the labor of others, and I’m passionate about this divergence from the more capitalistic approach of traditional shop structure.
Mimi: I feel lucky that at Angels we don’t have a centralized boss and instead cooperate to make decisions as to how the shop runs. We individually craft our own schedules and rates, which is a freedom I’m grateful for. It’s special to have so many artists working under one roof with a variety of different aesthetics and methods for clients to choose from as well!
KM: Who’s a current tattoo artist you admire and why?
Kiki: It’s so hard to pick just one—I’m constantly in awe and inspired by seeing what others are making! I’m always especially admiring all of my studiomates at Angels too, of course 🙂
Mimi: I’m constantly inspired by the work of Tamara Santibañez. They’re an oral historian and interdisciplinary artist working in tattoo and fine art. Not only do I admire their artistic craftsmanship and message about class, race, gender, and sexuality, but also their dedication to political work and spreading awareness of trauma-informed tattooing. You can find my tattoos on Instagram @bbypokes. I’m always booking flash and custom work so if you think I’m the right artist for you please don’t hesitate to reach out (bbypokes@gmail.com)! •
You can also check out Kiki’s wonderful work on Instagram @shuuin.