ABOUT CHARLES BODAY

I have been tattooing without the use of electricity since 2010. I picked up a needle and chopstick with the intention of progressing to the use of a machine, but fell in love with the process of tattooing by hand: the barrier of noise is eliminated, lines can be solid and strong, or delicate through the technique of dotwork/stippling. I love the look of dotwork: it highlights the process as you can see the needlepoints themselves, and even with shading, you can create patterns.

Growing up in Auckland, New Zealand, the largest Polynesian city in the world, I was exposed to the art of traditional Samoan hand-tap tattoo and aware of traditional tattoo without electricity, though at the time my interest was focused on modern electrical tattooing. I thought that these machine-free traditions were limited to their cultures of origin. I didn’t realize I could do it too, and that you weren’t limited to doing something a certain way merely because of your cultural roots. Instead, I studied Law and Philosophy, and spent a lot of time running away to the Art School and hanging out with friends.

The 1990’s saw a worldwide interest in the art of indigenous people, and the first wave of ‘tribal’ tattooing, epitomized by the work of Leo Zulueta. This led to a new way of looking at the art of tattoo, and seeing sources other than Japanese for large-scale work, and the ubiquitous western flash for smaller work. In LA, I met Alex Binnie, who went on to help transform the art of tattoo, especially large-scale neo-tribal work. I started getting work from him, and he also created the art for two bars, Kava Lounge and Totem, that I operated in New York in the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s.

Starting to tattoo by hand, I looked at the traditional tattooing cultures which existed prior to the invention of electricity, and which have survived in the modern world, especially Thailand and Samoa. I became aware of a revival in traditional tattooing in cultures which had lost the art through missionary contact, or just through the influence of the ‘modern’ world and the introduction of the electric tattoo machine. I also contacted artists working with traditional tools outside of traditional environments, and in 2014 published Handpoke Tattoo: 23 Artists’  Words and Ink, which looked at 23 of those artists.

My tattooing interests are influenced by indigenous art and artists from disparate cultures. I also have been influenced by ancient Greek art and rock art, both from pre-history and first peoples. I admire the work of the Viking school of tattooers, in particular Colin Dale, who has experimented with various tattoo techniques, including sewing.  I have also experimented with this traditional Inuit technique, though my focus is on handpoking. I work in the western tradition, learning from those who have preceded us, whether from my own or other cultures. I reject cultural appropriation. I like anchors and roses, as well as Marquesan patterns. I feel it is paramount to acknowledge sources, and respect the work of artists who continue to tattoo for traditional purposes and to revive traditional cultural expression.