Tattooing is considered among the oldest forms of art – the word itself ‘’tatau’’ is derived from Samoan, although the practice itself has far reaching, global and ancient origins. It has really only been in the last few hundred years of human civilization – and by that, I mean western imperial civilization that has attempted to dominate cultural norms for centuries – that tattooing has faced a status of taboo and heresy. Using our bodies as the canvas for our life stories – our cultures, community positions, achievements and as spiritual protection – is perhaps as primordial as the tattoo tools that have been found, dating this practice back 50 000 years ago to the Upper Paleolithic era. Tattooing is innate – in our blood and bones as human beings – spanning from the painted Celts on the British Isles to the Vikings and Samí in Northern Europe, and the Inuit people even further up, across to Eastern European folk tattooing, across to the Americas (North and South), all around Asia, and from the top of Africa to the tip – to the Polynesian Islands, and New Zealand and Australia – indigenous tattoo practices are as prevalent and unifying to the human experience as eating, sleeping and sex; ingrained in our evolution, our diversification, and migration across the eath. It is no wonder that now – with the resistance towards western, white supremacist patriarchy and all its iterations of oppression, bodily policing, and violence – that the practice of tattooing among millennials and gen-Z’s are erupting alongside activism and social change. The changing attitudes to tattoos and body modification in the work-place and in public are shifting because of those who chose to embrace their expression overall all else – and in South Africa, this shift is alive and thriving.
Still, contemporary tattooing has been no stranger to the exclusivity and toxicity insidiously warping even the most sacred of spaces as remnants of colonial programming. In conceptualising this piece, I posted a story asking for everyone’s favourite tattoo artists – and slowly, with the guidance and direction of friends (IRL and URL) – this story has revealed itself to centre on the perspective of black, people of colour, queer (female bodied) and women tattoo artists in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. On building spaces of safety and celebrating culture – I spoke to Ndumiso Ramate of Soweto Ink, who alongside Sibusiso Dlamini founded the shop in 2014. Ndumiso explains the story behind Soweto Ink, “Our objective is empowering young artists who are coming up – giving them guides and tips on the industry and to believe in themselves, Soweto Ink is the people’s tattoo brand. We also host one of the biggest tattoo conventions in Africa, Soweto Ink Tattoo Convention, and we see the culture is growing and slowly understanding what professional tattooing is and people understand what a good tattoo artwork looks like and how to locate a good artist on social media.” Commenting on what this growth means, Ndumiso says, “This is growth considering we are coming from a ‘Stoeka’ (jail tattoos or bad tattoo) era where in our black culture, tattoos are deemed to be satanic, dark, or criminal Tattooing is for us, the healing of our people because people come with so many different stories and most of the come for closure, healing or happiness.”
Tattoo client and writer, Alyx Carolus’ free ebook Tattoos are for Everybody is a guide to being a black or POC tattoo customer; an invaluable resource, encouraged by her own experiences – on what led to the guide, she says, “I’ve been getting tattooed for over a decade now, and throughout this time, Black and brown people have approached me with questions. They wanted to know what to ask when in a shop, who could work on their skin tones and who would offer a good experience or would be dismissive to their queries. I wanted to condense the things I’d learnt from being a regular client, working in the industry briefly and hearing about positive/negative experiences in shops around the city. Ultimately, I wanted to create the guide I wish I had a decade ago.” Regarding whether she has seen any meaningful change in the industry in Cape Town, Alyx comments, “I think there’s an awareness, with the rise in social media, that the clientele and industry is changing overall. Local tattoo culture has been viewed as having one face, and one or two types of clientele – when historically, body modification has never been limited like that. People who may not have had the space to talk about their experiences, such as harassment, discrimination of all kinds, have a platform. At this point, if you’re still operating in a way that doesn’t consider everyone and being less discriminatory, it’s definitely noticed and spoken about.”
Navigating an industry that has been dominated by cis-white men, resident tattooist at Palm Black Tattoo, Chanté Brinkhuis – idenifties as queer and POC artist on their page, explains the growing sense of safety they and their clients have been able to engage in, “I’ve been lucky enough to have honest conversations with many of my clients of colour about racism and intimidating tattoo spaces. The fact that people feel like they can open up about their experiences means so much to me, because it shows that they are comfortable in the space. Getting a tattoo can be an intimate and daunting experience so it’s super important for clients to feel at ease and this energy also needs to come from the rest of the studio as well. I’ve added a “POC” highlight on my Instagram account which consists of tattoos that I’ve done on darker skin tones. People of colour often check artist’s feeds to see how their tattoos might look on their skin. As a person of colour it’s something I relate to and definitely something I’d like to see more on other artist’s pages.” Dismantling gatekeeping is possible – and for Chanté it was set in motion in the last two years; “I was turned down by many studios until I approached Raoul Goetze, the owner of Palm Black Tattoo. Raoul was quite different to anyone else in the industry I had met up with at that point. He believed in my potential and I was hired a week later. It was surreal for me, because I was so used to being underestimated. No one expects a queer coloured girl to become a successful tattooer in one of the country’s most reputable shops. It was during my apprenticeship when my perception of tattooing changed. I became more educated in its history and origins in cultures all around the world. In tattooing’s early history, it was seen as sacred and ritualistic. I’d love for tattooing in the modern day to be seen as that, or at least be treated with a similar level of respect and consideration. My colleague, Matt, often refers to it as ‘spiritual exchange of energy’.’’
Ethel Laka was at one time the only black, female tattoo artist working professionally in South Africa – as an industry OG, she was a forerunner in opening up the possibilities; even when this may not have been intention. Regarding her observations over the last years, Ethel says, “it’s still mainly male dominated, unlike the rest of the world where there are a lot more women involved in it. That said, I recognise that as women we have never needed permission from males to take up the careers that we wanted. I was always thrust into a white male dominated space so I recall being the only black female in south africa that was in the industry. I know that now there are some other women who have taken it up. Society informs how our businesses thrive, and patriarchy and racism have always been factors to note in who comes to my business and who does not. Understanding South Africa’s terrible past, we have yet to have notable social cohesive intentions. We are still culturally very divided, and I think it’s a crucial observation as it affects how a society views arts, expressionism, women and arts. We then need to support talent based purely on that and not factors like race or sex. Black women have and continue to phase othering and inaccessibility across almost all industries; the idea that tattooing, intended to be a rebellious, counter-cultural phenomena and yet remains as tied up in patriarchy and white supremacy as any other; speaks to the reality of both on the most subtle and pervasive levels. Ethel reflects on her come up as black, female artist – saying, “it has been both arduous and rewarding. I have had to understand society so that I understand the notions that people have about race and women. Of late, I’m so happy to be experiencing a lot more black women who are taking the tattoo industry on with large tattoos and the revelation that there is an expertise to the craft. It’s not just a tattoo, it can become a collector piece that you can enjoy and marvel at for life, especially the fact that we as tattooists do have different depictions and characters in how we translate a design. So I am flourishing and some days are very difficult to get through as South africa is still not as extreme in expression as the rest of the world, but my aim is to always inspire and get people who don’t have tattoos to view in a different light that it is a safe expression and when done professionally: it can be something that anyone can enjoy.”
Ethel Laka was at one time the only black, female tattoo artist working professionally in South Africa – as an industry OG, she was a forerunner in opening up the possibilities; even when this may not have been intention. Regarding her observations over the last years, Ethel says, “it’s still mainly male dominated, unlike the rest of the world where there are a lot more women involved in it. That said, I recognise that as women we have never needed permission from males to take up the careers that we wanted. I was always thrust into a white male dominated space so I recall being the only black female in south africa that was in the industry. I know that now there are some other women who have taken it up. Society informs how our businesses thrive, and patriarchy and racism have always been factors to note in who comes to my business and who does not. Understanding South Africa’s terrible past, we have yet to have notable social cohesive intentions. We are still culturally very divided, and I think it’s a crucial observation as it affects how a society views arts, expressionism, women and arts. We then need to support talent based purely on that and not factors like race or sex. Black women have and continue to phase othering and inaccessibility across almost all industries; the idea that tattooing, intended to be a rebellious, counter-cultural phenomena and yet remains as tied up in patriarchy and white supremacy as any other; speaks to the reality of both on the most subtle and pervasive levels. Ethel reflects on her come up as black, female artist – saying, “it has been both arduous and rewarding. I have had to understand society so that I understand the notions that people have about race and women. Of late, I’m so happy to be experiencing a lot more black women who are taking the tattoo industry on with large tattoos and the revelation that there is an expertise to the craft. It’s not just a tattoo, it can become a collector piece that you can enjoy and marvel at for life, especially the fact that we as tattooists do have different depictions and characters in how we translate a design. So I am flourishing and some days are very difficult to get through as South africa is still not as extreme in expression as the rest of the world, but my aim is to always inspire and get people who don’t have tattoos to view in a different light that it is a safe expression and when done professionally: it can be something that anyone can enjoy.”
On her experiences as a female artist, Tanya Swemmer says, “I think women in general often feel the need to work harder and prove their worth over and above what is necessary or healthy. I definitely felt this for a long time but after a few years I’m starting to ease into my own rhythm and space.” On whether the plurality of tattoo artists is becoming normalised, Tanya says, “I think tattooing is a little late to the party but the conversation has started and things have started to change. Most shops have gone from a predominantly white male workforce to quite a diverse range of people. There is always work to be done but I’m hoping that the general public aren’t so intimidated anymore when walking into a tattoo shop.”
Evidently, change is happening – in supporting spaces and people who are instrumental to this, I am reminded of the practice of etching our skin arising from the foundations of community; and that the more we can talk, and find ways to heal, the greater we can action a future across all spaces of creativity that are led by love.
