Queer Tattoo

by Benjamin Wolbergs, Florian Rudolph, Brody Polinsky

In recent years, having received a considerable boost by social media, a young and dynamic scene has emerged that is dedicated to what has become known as queer tattooing. This special community, which is growing steadily, has been born out of a desire to break with the hierarchies and patriarchal structures of traditional tattoo art. It aims to create safe, tolerant, and inclusive spaces where queer, nonbinary, and trans people can experiment away from the mainstream and develop their own individual styles and techniques. In their work, many tattoo artists break free from the destructive, heteronormative, and capitalist ideals of beauty, creating a visual language that subverts the long tradition of cultural appropriation which characterizes the traditional tattoo scene. Their designs reveal a unique creative flair for queer iconography. This book is the first comprehensive introduction to this vibrant and diverse queer tattoo community. It presents 50 international tattoo artists with the help of extensive portraits, texts, and series of images.

Genres: Queer, Art, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

Published August 11, 2022

Reviews

[Francesco Iorianni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine sehr gute und recherchierte Zusammenstellung an queeren Tattoo-Künstler:innen, die meinen Horizont erweitert hat! Das Vorwort gibt eine elaborierte historische Wiedergabe und Auseinandersetzung mit der Thematik und die ausgesuchten Fotografien und durchgeführten Interviews ergänzen das Buch auf einer künstlerisch-konzeptionellen Art.

[rixx · Rating 4 out of 5]

My tattoo artist had this on her shelf when I went and got my first ever tattoo. It caught my eye (the binding is very distinctive!), and I immediately ordered it when I got home. It's a wonderful, wonderful thing to exist. The breadth of style and experience in it was lovely to see, and has also given me some ideas, heh. I also liked the Instagram register at the back, though by the nature of things, even shortly after the book's release, not all links worked anymore.

The only downsides I can think of are that the interviews were not always of interest, and sometimes seemed to show off more that the interviewer ~knew~ the artist than anything else. Of course, the presented artists are also sourced via the network of the author(s), which leads to a surprising amount from Berlin artists. Not that I'm protesting! Great for me, but possibly not ideal on balance? Anyway. Fun book, and something I find myself paging through on occasion.

[Ev Osmanovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it, I cried. I don’t cry often when reading, but something about this beautiful book made me cry. Whether it’s the clear community that I don’t see day to day in my craft, or the descriptions of how tattooing is approached, it’s beautiful.
Not all styles of tattoo are for me, and that’s okay, the sheer scope of the craft itself is something so special to behold.