Tattoo art can only be

Tattoo art can only be "True N’ Forever"

30 March 2012 / 23:03:56 GRReporter

5148 reads

Yiannis, the founder of Sake Tattoo in Athens

Victoria Mindova

"True N’ Forever" is the name of the exhibition of paintings by the artistic group of Sake Tattoo studio in Athens. It will be open until the middle of April this year and shows the works of eight genuine artists, who do not fit within the established frameworks of art. Their canvases are human bodies, their brushes are iron, and their paintings are inspired by the love, pain, fear and dreams of the people who trust them.

Sake, Orgi, Kiriakos, Dask, Roza, Chris, Baker, ifi pearl, Tam are the aliases of the young and talented artists who decided to share their works of art with the general public in Athens and to present an exhibition of paintings inspired by their work. The name of the exhibition "True N' Forever " expresses the devotion of the Sake Tattoo crew to their work and the love they feel for it.

"We have had the idea for the exhibition for a long time and I am glad that we have managed to finally realize it," said especially for GRReporter Yiannis (Sake), who owns the Sake Tattoo studio in Athens and who is the initiator of the event. Already on the first night of its opening, the exhibition proved a great success and almost half of the exhibited works were sold. "We are pleased with the interest of people and although prices are not cheap, many of the works of our artists were bought," explains the artist. The people from Designwars Exhibition Centre gave impetus to the organization of the exhibition. "They placed at our disposal the area of the exhibition centre in the Stoa to present our works of art and thus, an idea has become a reality."

"The exhibition allows more people to get acquainted with our work," said Sake. He and the artistic group around him are strongly influenced by hip-hop music and other underground styles. Sake himself is a very talented graffiti artist and has been occupied with different types of art and street art for many years now. "For us, this is just another step in our development," he said in connection with the exhibition.

As a tattoo artist, Sake has managed to make a good name for himself in recent years, as he is very talented. His colleagues define him as gifted, hardworking and focused. He has been dealing with tattooing for over 13 years now and has a series of awards from national and international festivals. About his work as a tattoo artist, he said, "The most important thing is to have high standards in work and in the attitude to people. These things are valuable and this is the only way to make a good name. Tattoo studios have to be friendly, flawless and crystal clear. The notion that making tattoos means a dubious lifestyle is outdated. "

Tattoos are a phenomenon in Greece, but are becoming more popular in other parts of the world too. The artist believes that this is due mainly to the celebrities, who have openly showed their tattoos in recent years. David Beckham, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp are just a few of the numerous celebrities, who have brought the tattoo out from the old understanding that you had to have spent time in prison or made a mistake in the army to have a tattoo. "This culture has developed at a fast pace in Greece in recent years, but there is more to be done when making a comparison with the UK or USA," said Sake.

The economic crisis in Greece is a widely-known problem and the occupation of tattoo artist can easily be practiced anywhere in the world, especially if you are talented and capable. We could not but ask Sake how he sees himself in 10 years and in which part of the world. He replied, "Surely in Greece, with several children and my business." The young artist is firm that he would not replace Greece with any other country in the world. "I have lived abroad and I know I can manage there if necessary, but that's not my goal. I have invested a lot in the studio and the people I am working with and I would not leave them. "