By JESSE GRAHAM
UPWEY tattooist Jamin Swaneveld will be grabbing his best guns and making his way to the third annual Australian Tattoo and Body Art Expo in Melbourne later this month.
Tattoo guns, of course.
Mr Swaneveld will be setting up his specially-made stall at the exposition which will run from 29 November to 1 December at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
His stall drew many eyes at last year’s event, featuring wood panelling and an old-style feel that separated the stall for Last Frontier Tattoos from the rest.
Mr Swaneveld said he was looking forward to this year’s exposition and that he filled his booking times for this year before last year’s event had wound up.
Specialising in realistic style tattoos, such as portraits and nature pictures, Mr Swaneveld said he wants to help remove the stigma that has long been associated with tattoo artists.
“There’s a lot of things against us at the moment – things happening in Sydney and Brisbane and Western Australia with bikies,” he said.
“The perception is that we’re all like that, and we’re all tarred with the same brush.
“Hopefully the public that wouldn’t normally come along, may come along (to the event) and see that times have changed.”
Mr Swaneveld said that his elaborate stall design comes from his history as a builder and is one of the many ways that he tries to distinguish himself and his Upwey tattoo shop as different to the rest.
“It’s an industry that seems to have boomed – it’s epidemic, and you have a sea of tattooists,” he said.
“The only way to stand out in a sea of white is to paint yourself red.”
The Melbourne leg of the Australian Tattoo and Body Art Expo will be held from noon-10pm on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 November and from 11am-7pm on Sunday 1 December.
Single-day tickets are $25 if booked online, or $30 at the door.
Three-day passes are $65 online or $65 at the door, while children’s tickets are $10 and children under 12 may enter for free.
A number of entertainment events will be held across the exposition weekend, with markets and a kids corner available.
For more information, visit www.tattooexpo.com.au.
Look out for Mr Swaneveld’s stall at all three days of the exposition – you can’t miss it.
The Mail has two double passes for single-day visitors to the Australian Tattoo and Body Art Expo in Melbourne.
To be in the running to run one of the double-passes, visit the Mail’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MailNewspaperGroup, share and like the related post and comment with the word “TATTOO”.
Winners will be drawn on Friday 22 November.
