Chicago's tattoo art is growing
18.05.12
CHICAGO | Chloe Kolfield got her first tattoo when she was 15.
Ten years later she has 18 tattoos all over her body.
The Chicago hair stylist said she would never say never to
tattoos.
The Chicago Photography Center, 3301 N. Lincoln Ave., is
showcasing photography of tattoos in its "I 'heart' Ink" exhibit
through Feb. 24. The work of 14 photographers explores tattoos as
an art form.
"We decided to do the exhibit because we thought that the art of
tattoo is under-represented in the world of fine art," said Susan
Aurinko, curator with the center.
Warren Perlstein, whose work is included in the exhibit, said
the photographers of the exhibit focused more on the art of
tattoos, rather than showing beautiful women and scruffy guys.
Perlstein said tattoos, once favored mostly by sailors and
motorcyclists, have become mainstream, a view confirmed by
data.
In Chicago, nearly 80 tattoo parlors were issued licenses or
license renewals from 2005 to 2012, according to data from the
Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection
website. The number of tattoo parlors increased nearly 400 percent
during that period.
Source: nwitimes.com