Tattoo you! These artists live for ink

Tattoo you! These artists live for ink

Judson Rosebush

Skin art will show up just about anywhere at the New York City Tattoo Convention, this year running Friday through Sunday.

A picture might speak a thousand words, but ink is multilingual.

At the New York Tattoo Convention, running Friday through Sunday at midtowns Roseland Ballroom, needle jockeys will come from as far as Japan, New Zealand, Hungary, France and Brazil to show off their work.

But no matter how many languages are spoken, for the heavily-decorated denizens of the convention now in its 15th year tattoos are a universal language.

YIKES! THE WORST CELEB TATTOOS

One of my favorite things about the convention are the people Ive connected with, says lower East Side resident Michelle Myles, who owns that neighborhoods Daredevil Tattoo. One year, I met this guy from Germany named Tattooed Theo who was in his 70s and didnt speak any English. I had a tattoo book about the history of tattooing and his photo was in it from back in the 60s.

By then he was an old guy and his whole body was tattooed up, but he had a tiny little inch of space and, even though he didnt speak a word of English, he let me tattoo him in that spot. Where else would that happen?

For the past 15 years, theres been nowhere else as packed with tattoo enthusiasts and talent from the five boroughs and around the world as the New York Tattoo Convention.

Founded by Steven Bonge and Butch Garcia after New York Citys ban on tattooing was lifted in 1997, the convention is host to close to 200 tattoo artists each year, including big names like tattooing legend Jack Rudy and New Yorks own Paul Booth, whose work commands hundreds of dollars per hour.

The artists are the soul of the convention, said East Village resident Bonge, and in addition to hailing from countries around the world, some offer traditional-style tattoos from their respective cultures.

Weve got Japanese guys tattooing with hand-poked traditional style and weve got artists from New Zealand who do tapping, Bonge said. We have a lot of styles, from fine-line black-and-white to the old-school style.

Whatever sort of tattooing visitors to the convention are interested in, though, Bonge insists the environment has little in common with the stereotypical, biker-filled tattoo parlor.

There are a lot of families and kids walking around, said Bonge. Its not a scene that will offend them. Its not a bunch of drunks and buffoons, its a serious art event with some family entertainment to it.

Myles echoed the sentiment, noting that the convention is packed with top-tier artists visitors might otherwise not get to without doing serious time on a waiting list.

People arent as intimidated as they used to be, she said. Before there was this image of what might be going on there, but they just want to see the artists and check out the work.

People are more educated now about tattooing and are also more interested in seeing what artists are doing, Myles adds. Its a good chance to have access to artists they might not normally have access to.

The event isnt just exciting for visitors.

This convention is probably the most fun of all of the ones I attend, said Myles. Its our hometown, so its a chance for everybody to get together. For me in particular, this is more about having fun and the social aspect.

When I go to conventions in other countries, its more about working and making connections with customers, but here its a chance to interact with the larger community.

We do some tattooing, but its just a great party.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The New York Tattoo Convention runs from Friday May 18 to Sunday May 20 at the Roseland Ballroom, 239 W. 52nd St., (212) 247-0200, nyctattooconvention.com. The cost is $ 20 per day, $ 50 for a three-day pass.