17th Annual Villain Arts Tattoo Festival Showcases Changing Social Norms

Colorful stands display all kinds of artwork, from geometric patterns of varying shapes and shades to fine-line sketches drawn with a delicate and deft hand.

Gathered crowds mill about, deciding how they will embellish and customize their personal avatars. Many have vibrant dyed hair brightly shining from across the massive room, and their bodies are already decorated with permanent alterations from head to toe.

Some live entertainment is pushed into the back corner, with an aging juggler trying to garner attention from the onlooking spectators, who remain unenthused and are clearly looking to kill some downtime.

The energy of the Villain Arts 17th Annual Tattoo Festival was unique. Traveling across the country throughout the year, the creative celebration had already made several stops in metropolises such as Chicago and Los Angeles before finally reaching the Cream City. From Oct. 8 to Oct. 10, several professionals set up shop in Milwaukee, making their new temporary home at the Baird Center.

A few weekends ago, visitors were able to book appointments for new body art and look at the small museum depicting the diverse history of the ancient medium. The event also promised tattoo contests and plenty of sideshows.

Among these highlighted attractions were Camille Zamboni, a contortionist twisting her body every which way, and Cruella Morgan, who does gravity-defying performances.

Tattoo Testimonies

Visiting the Villain Arts Tattoo Festival, there were many attendees willing to open up about their own personal experiences with the tight-knit subculture, describing their individual tattoos and the intimate significance behind them.

Aeslin, age 29 and from Madison, has 20 tattoos so far. Her most recent addition is a rib cage with a snake weaving in and out of the bones. As for the background inspiration behind the evocative piece, she shared, “I don’t get tattoos that are inspired by anything other than finding an artist and liking their work,” simply wanting to make her body stand out and look even cooler.

On the other hand, Anna got one for a much more personal reason. She has a little heart on her rib cage for her cousin and best friend who passed away. Moreover, her all-time favorite is the Pokémon Ninetales, which she claimed hurt tremendously. Despite this pain, she still dreams of getting the Sims creative trait on her permanently, representing how artistic she is.

Visiting with her, Laneshka has a freestyle calligraphy tattoo across her entire spine, which she got in Shibuya, Japan. Remarking on how excruciating the whole appointment was, she stated, “It gets to a point where you are just like, ‘Are we done?’” As for her future plans, she already has more anime-inspired designs planned, with a full-body piece of red water lilies and wisps tied to East Asian mythology.

Georgie got a fine-line piece while there, getting a paw print of her pet cat. Out of her six tattoos, her favorite is the Mississippi state flower that she got with her mom and sister, originally living down South. As for what she wants moving forward, she said, “I want to get a quote from my favorite DND podcast on my arm. From The Adventure Zone season one. It’s by the character Taako at the very end: ‘There’s just decisions.’”

The Trials and Tribulations of the Taboo Art Form

The convention attracted people from all walks of life, with several attendees visibly sporting their own tattoos, with intricate designs and specific personal meanings. Considering how this inventive form of expression has become so prevalent in modern society, the fact that publicly having permanent ink was once so taboo and deemed one an outcast might be hard to believe.

Tattoos have always held a strong cultural significance among certain communities. Several indigenous groups around the globe have done them for millennia, from the Kakiniit of the Inuit women to gain access to the afterlife or honor a memorable milestone, to the Tā moko practiced by the Māori to be more attractive to the opposite sex and symbolizing social status among different tribes.

The art form has existed since the dawn of mankind, with the first known evidence of permanent ink sketched onto a human being found on Ötzi. He was a Neolithic mummy who lived over five thousand years ago and had 61 designs decorating his body.

However, they were regarded in the exact opposite fashion in the Western world by the 1950s. Not being treated as a sign of respect or wisdom, tattoos rather became negatively associated with biker gangs and hoodlum activity. An undeniable part of this heavy stigma was entirely intentional in its ingrained bigotry, as another form of subjugation against marginalized groups and their traditional rites.

Discouraged among upper classes and higher society, the shunned practice was banned in several places in the United States. Oklahoma was the very last to legally permit tattoos in 2006, according to KGOU Radio. Women in particular were not allowed to receive them unless accompanied by a spouse and were above the age of 21.

Showing full sleeves in the workplace was definitely out of the question for a long time. It was not until a rising counterculture starting in the 1960s, that became fully fledged by the 70s and 80s did general perceptions begin to shift, as shared by the platform Tattoos Wizard. By then, tattoos still remained a controversial statement but were slowly becoming a special way of personalizing and showcasing individualism.

Chart-topping musical artists adorned their frequently photographed bodies with them. The popular media soon shifted towards creating inescapable trends such as tramp stamps in the 2000s and finger tattoos by the 2010s.

There is still an apparent disparity between generations in how people view tattoos and if they have acquired some of their own, especially when considering whether permanent ink is professional or simply sloppy. Among Baby Boomers, only about 8 percent have one, as stated by the Pew Research Center. Most say they retroactively regret having this procedure or never want this divisive practice done to them at all.

On the other hand, 46 percent of Millennials have at least a single piece of body art according to the same study, usually obtaining multiple. The LGBT+ community is also much more likely to have these customizing modifications done, aligning themselves with this once-outlawed and prohibited creative expression.

An Insider Viewpoint

From another perspective, Emily traveled all the way from Tennessee as an assistant for Athena Art Company, getting the necessary equipment ready and running the front desk. She has nine tattoos in total, her personal favorite being a colorful rendition of 2D from the alternative rock band Gorillaz.

On what the best part of the overarching experience is, she confessed, “I love watching them create something that comes out of their brain and put it on the skin. Hopefully maybe one day I can do that too.” As for her working at the sprawling event, she proudly proclaimed, “Everyone’s been so friendly and sweet. Just take into consideration how hard artists work and how much they strive to put what you want on your body.”