LUIGI MARCHINI IS THE BEST MAORI ARTIST IN TOWN, AND MORE. DISCOVER HIS HIVE TATTOO ART GALLERY, NOW WITH A NEW COLLABORATION WITH FEDEZ
Text by: Fiammetta Cesana
EXTREME TATTOOS PAST AND PRESENT
“A fairground attraction in its own right since the dawn of the nineteenth century, by the 1950s ‘integral’, or full-body tattooing was considered – even by tattoo artists – to be a form of social suicide” Anne et Julien wrote in “Hey!: Modern Art & Pop Culture Art” (Discover the whole story “Extreme Tattoos Past and Present” on DRY Issue 1).
The authors argued that, starting in America in 1830s, only freak shows or sideshows of circuses used to dare such visible tattoos…
“For the poorest members of society, letting yourself be painted with a full-body tattoo was a way to escape misery and embark on a life-long profession as public spectacle: people loved them!” They said.
Most of these “spectacles”, the writers continue, then turned to be beautiful tattooed women who infatuated male audience, like Irene Woodward, named “La Belle Irene”, Nora Hildebrandt, and Maud Arizona…
Well, since then, we all know that the story of tattoos has changed a lot. By 1980s “people began to see tattoos take hold in popular Western culture, embellishing skins the way they did during the Belle Époque”.
Today marking our body with incredible ink drawings is becoming increasingly common, and not only among alternative teenagers but also between respectable adults, public figures, top managers, celebrities, models, as well as educators and academics. Actually, we can definitely affirm that now tattoos have done a further step forward, moving from a socially accepted practice to a real form of art.
HIVE TATTOO ART GALLERY AND MAORI
One of the talents who contributed to legitimize this new artistic landscape is Luigi Marchini (1972), the founder of Hive Tattoo Art Gallery in Milan, that on October 29th announced the partnership with the Italian famous rapper, plus Chiara Ferragni’s husband, Fedez.
Acclaimed for his distinctive skills in tribal and Polynesian tattoos, Marchini has been awarded with over forty Italian and European prizes for the categories Best Tribal and Best in Black. He is specialized in maori that he discovered when he was younger on the few available books, all in French, of the time. These drawings reveal important symbolic meanings linked to the origins and believes of the Polynesian population. Maori tattoos are indeed a real sacred ritual that marks the passage from childhood to adulthood and brings with it a strong value of belonging.
In 2017 the tattoo artist opened the Milanese space with Andrea Lanzi, which comprises eight tattoo stations, a piercing lounge in collaboration with Wildcat, an art workshop and exhibition corner dedicated to jewels of the Milanes brand Nove25 – with a new line created exclusively for Hive – and to the studio’s merchandising with t-shirts designed by the American artist Tony Ciavarro.
“Tattooing is a form of body expression. It is art on the skin, with its rules and its codes. Only a professional tattoo artist can guarantee quality and expert advice, and can understand the client’s needs, also discouraging inappropriate requests, even if, fortunately, people today have clearer ideas. They learned the drawings’ symbolism and being able to guide themselves among the different styles” Marchini said
Hive Tattoo Art Gallery
Private street Pirano 9, Milan
