Weeks have passed since Gods of Ink so I have had a chance to reflect and can now publicly say that I am utterly satisfied with the final result.
The new formula worked perfectly for the public, tattooists and suppliers. The atmosphere over the three days was truly unique, also because thankfully, most of the tattoo artists had heard my appeal to make themselves available for walk-ins and countless visitors were grateful because it seemed too good to be true that they could get tattooed by their favourite tattooists.
Obviously, we’re talking about small and medium sized tattoos, but the importance of a tattoo certainly doesn’t depend on how big it is but rather the value it has for the person who will wear it for the rest of their life.
We’ve already set the date for the next edition which will once again be held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair Messe Forum Frankfurt on 19 20 and 21 April 2024. And I am already working on it: a long process which will take all year.
In fact, at the end of every convention I organise, I draw a line underneath it and start again from scratch. So it can’t be taken for granted that a tattooist accepted one year will be guaranteed a place the year after. That’s not how it works at my conventions, so a tattooist who took part at the last edition is not necessarily confirmed for the next.
At this first edition I found myself unable to invite all the tattoo artists who took part at the London conventions, not just for reasons of space but also because though an artist might have been excellent five years ago that does not mean they still are today. New artists appear and evolve every day, and my job is to search for them in the four corners of the world so I can offer the best there is at my event.
Every year I look for artists who have come up with something new, something that works, artists I can see have a future in the style they work in or the studies they are engaged in. This is a task that is really long and painstaking but I think it is the only way to be able to offer the best there is worldwide from year to year. A bit like when an actor gets a nomination at the Oscars. It doesn’t mean that if they got it for one film they are going to get it again for another the year after. Everything changes and evolves and so alongside the undisputed legends of tattoo – thanks to whom we’ve got to the tattoo of the present day, and for this they will always have my lasting respect and their very presence fills me with pride – I also try to give space to new artists who are offering something new but above all worthwhile.
Every time I look at a photo on their profiles I try to use all my knowledge to understand how it will be five years from now. Because for me, a tattoo begins its real life after a period of years and not when it has only been healed for two weeks. And when what I see works, I am delighted to contact the artist myself to ask if they want to come and share what I have to offer at Gods of Ink. Obviously I also appreciate requests which come from the artists themselves because even though I do meticulous research there is always the chance that someone might escape my attention who would then be the focal point of the event for their style for many years to come.
