The fine line between subjective and universal. The new editorial by Miki Vialetto

Publishing, in all its various contexts and sectors, is always a reflection of the times: it perceives, anticipates and then captures what is happening around us, weighing up and selecting fromthat which is destined to pass unobserved and then disappear without a trace. In our world of tattoo, the publisher has a responsibility to give the right value to the surrounding artwork and the right weight to the contributions which individual artists bring through their work.

I have always been acutely aware of this responsibility, both because of my own passion for tattoo as well as the publishing house I manage: getting a publication wrong would mean discredit on a personal and professional level, because in order to pass the test of time as a publisher, the right balance between friendships, personal passions, and objectivity is always extremely precarious, and none of these three components must be allowed to override the other two.

I share these considerations with you in this new issue of Tattoo Life because, as perhaps you already know, over the 25 year history of this magazine and the publisher Tattoo Life, we have chosen to publish the Best Of of the books in our series The Great Books on The Art of Tattooing. And that is the origin of Echoes of Time. 25 years of tattoo art, a book which celebrates our publishing house with a throwback which takes you back to the early years of the new millennium.

This was a time when books on tattoo were few and far between and we at Tattoo Life launched the landmark Flash The Art of The Mark, the collection of illustrated plates created by those we can say without doubt have proven to be the giants of contemporary tattoo. That is how it went from there, with the publication of books produced by artists chosen personally by me because, in an objective manner, and always walking that fine line between the subjective and universal, I was certain that over time they would remain solid points of reference for new generations, always relevant and never merely rising stars who would be short lived.

Choosing the pieces to include in Echoes of Time has meant for me an even more difficult selection process, delving into the history of this craft and choosing from each volume those plates which in terms of subjects, stylistic features or that artistic touch are still today the epitome of Traditional, Lettering, Oriental, Ornamental, Dark and the rest. Analysing the past has allowed me to observe the current day with an even greater awareness of what my work in tattoo must provide, in the choice of the artists to whom we devote an interview in the magazine, our blog or the conventions which I organise. And I trust that you too, our readers who have always followed us, will understand from this major new book what is and will always be relevant, the epitome of the craft.