RCGNTN: make local your focal

Elson Yeo’s tattoo shop at Far East Plaza looks like any other tattoo shop you might have walked past many a times, however don’t expect the same. Truly breaking the stereotype given to people with tattoos, Elson seems like the perfect role model to change that forever.

His studies in National University of Singapore has made him approach tattooing with a seriousness, only seen in professionals, aside from his intense passion for art on skin. Having been in the industry for a long time, we get his thoughts on the local tattoo community which has been growing steadily.

How long have you been tattooing?
Technically, for about 11 years but professionally, for 6 years.

Why made you start?
I guess if you’ve been drawing since 7 years old and have been experimenting with a plethora of mediums, soon you’ll come to skin; it’s a natural progression. You just get engaged with skin; it’s not wall or glass. Skin to me is very important because you capture what is living art (as clichéd as it sound) for eternity, as relative to the wearer itself, you do in ephemerality, you do it now. For me, it’s just the whole idea that captures me; the idea of expressing our artistry on a living subject. In this way, the paying customer does not buy your painting and hang it on the wall, he wears it, like it or not.

Isn’t the notion of wanting people to wear your art slightly narcissistic?
Narcissistic, no. Individualistic, yes. It’s just like a T-shirt designer where even if you break even or make a loss, you’re still happy just seeing somebody you don’t even know wearing that. It’s a sense of satisfaction.

I heard that you’ve studied quite a lot. What qualifications do you have?
First and foremost, what you hear about me is not true. (laughs) But for this aspect of studies, it’s true. I majored in political science, in National University of Singapore (NUS). Alas, I did. With a focus on realism versus idealism and political theory but I’m not with the PAP, so sorry! I didn’t say that.

So why the switch?
There’s no switch. I guess I’ve closetly wanted to be a tattoo artist since I was 11 years old. I’m serious. Not really a tattoo artist to begin with but an artist. When I read Crying Freeman, I remembered I showed my mum a picture of a man with a huge dragon tattoo and told her I wanted to be like him, what I got (I love my mum) was a slap. When you’re 11 and you show your mum this guy with tattoos, guns – a Yakuza, and you tell your mum you want to be like him you will get a slap, trust me. So fast forward some 19 years later, I’m here and my mum’s sitting there (at the front desk).

Do you think your studies has helped you in any way for what you’re doing now?
I mean, definitely but everything in life shapes you. In this case, if there’s one very good thing about NUS is that throughout this 20years of education what I did was to come up with a more analytical mind hence Think Tattoo. You put yourself in this chair and you’ve to interpret what the wearer wants. There’s a fine line between specializing in something without superimposing what you want on other people. What I believe a good tattoo artist should do is not to pigeon hole, do a nice variety of all styles so when you want to specialize in something, you can tell people that you prefer this style. I think that’s more important. What’s the most important in our job is not really Miami Ink; being a psychologist, none of that, it’s just to reach into the customer to extract something that is abstract (in the mind) and make it tangible (on the skin). It’s more of an interaction.

What are your views on the local tattoo scene?
They are fantastic! I love them! Brothers and sisters unite! It’s a growing community, it’s healthy and I like it. The thing you’ve to understand about a growing community is that there will be some uncertainty but I believe with the Singapore Tattoo Show, it will pick up, definitely.

What do you think can be improved in the community?
Like I said, it’s a growing community and with the limelight showed on us by the international circuit; for this past year when I travel, people go “The Singapore Show is really good and I would love to attend it the next year!” and it makes me realize people are looking at us. Pressure, stress or whatever you’d call it, will help. Tattooing, as with all specialty, just allude it to a stream with fast moving water. You can jump it, anyone can but it’s staying there that matters; when you’re true to what you believe in, have passion and stand firm. Maybe to move a bit, it takes more effort but you know where you are; you won’t jump in and get washed away. I guess, with so many people taking up tattooing because it’s cool, you’ll soon see the difference between a real tattooist and a trendy wanker.

What’s the difference between foreign and local tattooists?
A lot, I mean what’s the difference between a foreigner and a local person? For mindset, in Europe where you get a very strong artistic background, when you grow up like that it’s different. You’ve the architecture, the books and language. With the US, there’s a very deeply rooted tattoo culture as opposed to artistic culture; the tattoo scene there is very rampant and vibrant. It’s understood that people come in, don’t bargain and are there just to get a tattoo. But for us, in a nice way I call it fusion and in a bad way I call it ‘rojak’, and we have no real culture; we’re not indigenous to anything because we’re migrants.

That’s why when people ask me what is the Singapore style, I say there is no style and I find it, the everything and anything but nothing style, is in itself a style because we’re flexible like that; we can get creative input from anything and something very interesting comes up in the end. That is kind of what I’m aiming for now, which is a mix-mash of everything.

What do you think tattooed people get stereotyped?
The one that sticks out always gets hammered right back in, it’s always like that. As for now, if you have a tattoo, I don’t think you’ll stand out that much but if you’re extensively tattooed then you’ll always stick out. I think that’s the beauty for the tattoo tribe. Like what I always tell my friends, there’re only two types of people in the world – tattooed or non-tattooed people; dichotomy. So the thing is, unfortunately or fortunately, majority of the world remains non-tattooed and they’ll judge. Anything they can bring to the table and say ‘Oh they’re degenerates, they do drugs.”

However, you do realize that there are illiterate non-tattooed people who are drug-takers and beat up their wives, and because they don’t have a tattoo, they are very good people. So you can’t say that, you definitely cannot say that. I’m glad that we are pretty successful in fighting this stigma. A decade ago, you’d know your friend’s friend’s friend who has a small tattoo. Then five years ago, maybe you know somebody who has a tattoo and now you’d probably have a tattoo. But of course, with the wave like this, in 50 years it would be cool to not have a tattoo; a punk wouldn’t have a tattoo.

What other purpose does a tattoo have other than being decorative to you?
To me, I feel that the ability to decorate yourself permanent or temporarily separates us from animals; zebras and pandas cannot choose. For us, there’s the hair, clothing and tattoos. It’s a conscious choice to permanently alter yourself. Another purpose would be to further highlight your humanity in that you’d want to be heard, to mark yourself apart from the maddening crowd. You realize that even in the tattoo community, as long as you don’t subjugate yourself to a picture on the wall and get something really customized, people can read who you are from your tattoo piece. That’s why I say that people like us are a lot more honest because at least we wear our emotions on our sleeve and you can see it; turning yourself inside out. Maybe it is evolution, I don’t know but I just do what I’m doing and I hope it’s good.

How do you get inspiration from all your work?
I think it’s something you pick up over the years, as an artist in general, not just a tattoo artist. It’s everything when you go to a new place; you meet new people. Also, sometimes you might find ideas in stuff you see every day. For instance, a German friend of mine told me (seeing that he is very sensitive to the Swastika) that in any four squares, you will see one Swastika and if I don’t point that out you’ll be surprised how many people won’t see that ever. You could be in a tiled bathroom, showering in a sea of Swastikas and you wouldn’t know that. This goes back to different cultures tattoo artists come from, what they see depends on what they’ve been through and exposed to. For me, I’m a Buddhist, the Swastika is the symbol for the divine will but for Germans it’s a stigma.

When I was in Europe, me being a bloody ‘sua ku’, I pay $5 to get a picture taken at an angle and then come back and do a tattoo based on that. It’s not just the angles, it is part of an angle melting into a demons’ face. It’s how we create and as much as it is about expression, you’ve to find a willing easel which is the customer.

What are the different kinds of tattooing?
The most commonly embraced technique would be the electro-magnetic machine, which is what I’m using now. Everyone knows how to use it and you get an apprenticeship based on it. It was supposed to be an engraving machine and apparently somebody engraved their own hand with ink by mistake, but it looks good. No history lessons, but there’s really a huge array of techniques available. Eskimos used to sew, they would blacken a thread with soot, lift up their fur coat or whatever it is they wear and thread.

For the Japanese they have the Horimono where they have 168 needles at 2pokes per second. I use electro-magnetic and pneumatic machines, of which the latter is powered by air; same idea as the air brush. Another type I use is the rotary machine which is based on jailhouse tattoos where they originally used guitar strings, I don’t use that of course, that’s too ghetto. So I used machines especially made based on that mechanism, it’s great for very neat and precise dot work. There’s another one, a hybrid, which has a rotary top-mounted but now I’m starting to sound like a grease monkey from the garage.

I think what I heard that interests you is the technique they use in Changi Prison which I fortunately, touch wood, have no idea of. It’s where you file half a needle into a bevel edge, tie a loose thread around it, dip it in Indian ink or a concoction of what you think is ink (i.e. burnt cups, cigarette ash, water or pee) and slowly poke through a back piece that could take weeks. And what we normally do, or for me, is to draw straight on you or a heat-transfer carbon paper but what the boys in Changi Prison do is to use a ballpoint pen, rip open an NTUC bag, draw the design 4 or 5 times on the plastic, get the boy to vigorously exercise to break out in slight sweat and draw on the plastic till the ink transfers. I’ve to say kudos to them, it’s a very innovative method. With that method, a line of 2 to 3 inches takes 30 minutes to do. I’ve seen some of the jailhouse tattoos, the line work is very good but there’s almost zero shading.

What does it take to become a professional tattoo artist besides the skill and creative aspects?
It is to know the ethics and integrity of this trade. Why not do it professionally, go to a studio and get a proper apprenticeship, go through the whole nine yards and learn everything? The art of it is your creativity and passion which moves on to the craft which includes preparation and sterilization.

Ethics regarding age is a sensitive issue because you can always argue when is one old enough to decide what you want permanently on your body but of course there’s the universally accepted, 18 years old. However, when you have your own studio you self-govern and I don’t mess around with this, it’s ethically not right for a few dollars.

For sterilization you definitely need to know about cross-contamination, air-borne diseases, etc. and other pre- and post tattooing procedures. Basically do not endanger anybody, especially yourself. As a tattooist, every single customer becomes a threat unless you know what you’re doing. You can never put it out of your mind and fully concentrate on your art.

There’re so many intricacies to this discussion that I think it’s only fair to classify a professional tattoo artist as such when you know and meet the requirements. The rest of them, well we will not talk about art because, we always have this joke about tattoo artists and tattooists, they can photocopy. What we call these unprofessional people are scratchers who tattoo out of their mum’s backyard or kitchen and that’s not cool.

What other regulations would you like to see in the tattoo community?
I think it would be wise for us to attend seminars on cross-contamination and preparation. It’ll be good if we have some common ground regarding these regulations.

Any last words?
I hope what I’ve said has been informative and you really have to think before you get a tattoo, don’t get it because of the trend. But of course, keep Singapore beautiful so get one!

Think Tattoo is located at Far East Plaza #02-65. You can also check him out at Thinktattoo.org