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The
Journey from Underground Art to Recognized Industry
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| Matty
Jankowski creating a temporary tattoo. |
 atty
Jankowski used to be an artist who used canvas for
his
medium.
Twenty-five years ago, after becoming disenchanted with the
traditional art scene he switched to the human body.
"Working
on the body is a whole different esthetic," says Jankowski.
"It's a warm art form." He described a feeling of being unfulfilled
with art that did not "come alive."
In
certain cultures, body markings were used as a rite of passage
or to mark a special moment in time. Among some African ethnic
groups, men’s bodies are painted as a sign of adulthood.
Today,
Jankowski links body art to the desire to return to more tribal
roots. "People come into this world totally undecorated,"
Jankowski says.
"We are the ugliest animals."
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| Sacred
Tattoo Body Art Emporium offers all kinds of body decoration
both temporary and permanent. |
Since
there are limited ways to apply makeup or style hair, he says,
body paint offers an alternative way of creating an individual
look.
He
notes tribes of Amazonian Indians that still use body art
as part of their culture. Most
cultures don't do it anymore - or they do it only for the
tourist trade."
As owner of Sacred Tattoo Body Art Emporium on Canal Street
in New York's Chinatown, Jankowski offers body art including
permanent and temporary tattoos, body painting, airbrush painting,
henna dyeing and piercing.
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| A
New York bus ad shows off tattoo art. |
While
he feels that body art has retained its tribal aura, he notes
the role that modern culture plays in deciding trends.
"It
starts out as street culture, then ad agencies pick it up
and feed it back in the media. Kids see their favorite rock
star with body art and want to emulate them."
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