Indulging in the world of tattoos
Art Tattoo Montreal hosted artists from around the world during its 22nd edition last weekend
On the weekend of Aug. 28, tattoo artists and lovers gathered at the Grand Quai du Port de Montréal for the 22nd edition of Art Tattoo Montreal. This convention once again brought tattoo enthusiasts together to celebrate the art form.
Walking into the convention centre, attendees were greeted by a bar, a photobooth and rows upon rows of tabling artists. Most of them were tattoo artists, but there were a few jewelry vendors and one table selling taxidermy portraits and other oddities.
They had a D.J. who was blasting various tunes, giving the whole event the atmosphere of a bustling tattoo parlour.
“It’s such a fun world, and you want to explore it. So I guess I just wanted to be part of it when I was super young,” -Audrey Lune, event organizer, Art Tattoo Montreal
Audrey Lune is a tattoo artist and helped organize the event alongside her parents Pierre Chapelan and Valérie Émond. Lune has been tattooing for five years, but began participating in the convention at a very young age.
“It’s such a fun world, and you want to explore it. So I guess I just wanted to be part of it when I was super young,” Lune said.
She noted that the event tries to have a variety of activities for everyone. In addition to being a meeting place for tattoo artists and lovers, the convention can also serve as an introduction to the environment of tattooing.
“We want people to come here to learn about tattoos, get tattooed, but also they can just come here, have a drink at the bar, listen to some music," Lune shared.
This year’s exhibition also featured several posters for the event designed by artists at the convention. Attendees had the chance to bid on the posters, with proceeds going to the Réseau Secours Animal cat shelter.
There were a few contests that took place, which included the best tattoos of each day and a special mythical creatures category.
Garth Hubert is a tattoo artist who comes all the way from France. He has been tattooing for over a decade, and this was his sixth time tattooing at the convention.
Hubert says he enjoys the Montreal convention because it features artists from many different places.
“This is the only moment in the year that I can meet all these tattoo artists from all over the world,” Hubert said.
A big draw for him is getting to congregate with other artists and discuss their shared passion.
Some artists were deep in focus from the get-go, having booked appointments to do during the event. Others were open for walk-ins, their flashbooks displayed in front of them. Every artist was different from the last, with styles from American traditional to a chibi aesthetic.
“It’s like a big tattoo shop,” Hubert said.
Ian McMurray has attended this convention multiple times, but this year was only his second time getting tattooed at the event.
On the first day of the convention this year, he began getting a samurai piece done on his back-left leg to match the spider with a woman’s head on his right. The two tattoos tell a story about a Jorōgumo, a creature from Japanese folklore that can shapeshift.
McMurray came back to the convention specifically to get tattooed by this particular artist again.
He notes that some people may have negative preconceptions about people with tattoos, but this does not match his experience.
“Everyone is nice here,” McMurray said.
