How Indian Tattoo Artists Are Changing The Tattoo Industry
By Sidra Lackey
India is known for its talented henna artists for the temporary, beautiful body art they create. But Indian tattoo artists are rising and showcasing their heritage with thrilling tattoo designs such as Dori tattoos and neo-Naga tribal.
According to Nidhi Gupta, a Mumbai-based writer in his illuminating tattoo piece, “India Ink: Meet the indie tattoo artists giving Indian folk and indigenous art a new canvas,” in the past three years, India’s alternative tattooing culture has, “blown up as the tattoo’s street cred has evolved way beyond a symbol of rebellion or a statement of style. More artists and patrons now seek out self-expression in needle, ink and motifs that are individualistic, unique and more personal; as carriers of beauty, memory and stories.” Gupta reports that in India, hand poke tattoos (the original form of tattooing by hand, before machines became widely used) are “trendy.” Also, as India’s rich history of tattoo art is being utilized, there’s a growing number of Indian tattoo artists who are exploring India’s cultural and natural heritage for inspiration.
Self-taught tattooist Utsavi Jhaveri of Borderline Tattoos (@border.line.tattoos) has made “Dori tattoos” popular. Dori tattoos are derived from Dori embroidery (the oldest form of Indian embroidery). Jhaveri said, “I started looking into different styles of embroidering. Kantha from Bengal to Rabari from Kutch: Embroidery is a huge part of South Asian culture. I found it so interesting that both embroidery and tattooing required needles. I wondered: ‘if I changed the medium, could I still be a needlework artist?’” Jhaveri also stated that while tattooing, she feels she must, “protect these art forms and help the artists behind them; not repackage and sell it to an urban, Western audience who might think of it as ‘cool’ and ‘exotic.’” And for each folk art form she tattoos on someone, “I’ve tried to explore in depth. I’ve also created literature around it, and when people ask about them, I try to introduce them to the original art forms that have inspired them.”
One of India’s “most respected” tattoo artists is Mo Naga (@headhuntersink). He is a Manipur-based artist trained at NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) who while in college, turned to tattooing as an art form he could incorporate design sensibilities that influenced him. Initially he saw tattooing as a hobby, but after years of exploring tattoo culture, he returned to his homeland and learned about the tattooing traditions of the Naga tribes. For almost a decade he has been touring states, living in villages, understanding the meanings of tattoos, “methods of drafting tools from bamboo thorns and pigments from the flora of the region, techniques such as the Konyak style of tattooing, as well as the historical reasons why Naga tattoos are a cultural artifact, almost extinct.” Mo Naga has taken all he has learned from tattooing and created the style of “neo-Naga tattoos.” This is where styles are, “borrowed in part, not exported as a whole, as their meanings remain sacrosanct to the tribes that developed them.” Mo Naga shared briefly about his work, “I don’t talk too much about what I have discovered in my studies and travels over the past decade, we need to be careful and sensitive with the way we put out this information into the world.”
The impressive tattoo work of Utsavi Jhaveri and Mo Naga is delightful and striking. A Dori tattoo or neo-Naga tattoo, would be a gift for a tattoo collector seeking a decorative tattoo design that is drenched in Indian culture.