TattooSnob.com Interview

My name is Joey Pang. I started Tattoo Temple back in 2006. I live in Hong Kong, was born in Yunnan China and my family is originally from Indonesia. And I'm writing this from home on maternity leave as I'm expecting my son to be born any week now!

What's your artistic background like? And how did that lead to tattooing?

I’ve been in love with drawing and design ever since I was a kid. I grew up in very rural areas of Mainland China & Hong Kong and didn’t have any art books - I just drew anything and everything around. The idea of being a tattoo artist wasn’t even in my vocabulary and tattoos themselves were thought of as only being for criminals. I worked in the cosmetics industry before leaving to study design. I started with graphic design then moved to fashion and finally interior design. I went to New Zealand to study English and while I was there I saw how people carried their tattoos with pride, it completely changed my entire outlook of the art. From then it was as if a fire was lit inside me. I knew that I had to become a tattoo artist. I traveled to Thailand, China, France, Germany, Switzerland, the US & UK just studying tattoos and different types of body art.

I've read you're a professionally trained Chinese Calligraphy artist—the only one who is also a tattoo artist. Tell us a bit about your background and training in calligraphy.

Even though Chinese characters serve as a practical method of communication the art of Chinese calligraphy is extremely complex. Almost like a hidden layer behind a language we use every day. Calligraphy is said to be the art form most revealing of the artist’s personality. The level of individual interpretation, movement and style is what adds life to the writing. I’ve been studying calligraphy since I was very young because my mother loved it. She still enters calligraphy competitions and is in class every week. For me it’s been many years of training with the Hong Kong Calligraphy Association and under many teachers. Calligraphy, much like any art, is something you can never ‘master'. I’m still in training everyday and classes a few times a week. When designing a tattoo I typically write out each character around 100 times according the client’s requested calligraphy style and period of history (each character is written differently according the time in Chinese history). Despite all the years put in I’m sure I’ll still be going to class as a very old lady!

You could easily be considered one of the pioneers of translating traditional Chinese calligraphy shapes and form in a way best suitable to tattooing...

I see Chinese character tattoos that simply look like computer font or where it’s difficult to even make out what the character is as the proportions can be so off. I read somewhere that bad Chinese characters and mistranslation is the main reason behind tattoo removal! One of the tattooing techniques I’ve worked hardest on is the recreation of brush lines and genuine calligraphy movement. It was something never done before. Each character needs to be tailored to the area it’s being placed on the body. Then if there are series of characters the whole chain has to be individually balanced and then the script again as a tattoo piece. The preparation time is considerable but it’s always a pleasure to see the result. Most of the clients who come to me for calligraphy are themselves Chinese.

In addition to calligraphy, you're known for specializing in a wide range of Asian styles. What does that mean exactly? Can you show us the different, uh, 'Asian styles' you like, maybe explain the differences between them for those of us that don't know everything?

‘Asian style’ is indeed a pretty broad category. Some of the best known forms within this are; Chinese calligraphy of course, traditional Japanese (like the well known koi, wave, fan and flower designs), Chinese mythology & nature scenes (dragons, phoenix, watercolor and landscape paintings, bamboo, trees, flowers), modern Chinese (nature scenes, abstract pieces), Thangka Art and Asian mythology (Hindu deities, Chinese deities, archetypal depictions). There are of course many more examples under each style but this is a general idea!

Japanese design is generally busier than Chinese. The Chinese approach also values the empty or negative space as much as the subject of the piece. It’s much more of a balancing act than just filling in every available space. Traditional Japanese pieces, like the body suits, really cover whole areas and are tailored to the contours of the body.

There are many bourgeoning modern Chinese styles that offer a twist on traditional elements. Specifically things like bamboo or cherry blossoms can be used in new ways within body art. Thangka is one of my absolute favorites. This style is from Nepal and uses high contrast bright color with close detail.

Dragons are some of the most flexible and individual characters. Every artist can really create their own style or feeling of dragon. The Filip Leu book of dragons is a fantastic example of a Westerners’ use of these traditionally Asian elements.

As each tattoo is custom designed for the client and only used once I'm always being tested and pushed in new directions. I love the challenge!

As an American, I'm always curious what it's like to be involved in the tattoo scene in places where being tattooed carries such a different weight socially. What's it like living and working as a tattooer in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong tattoos are thought of by most locals as being just for gangsters or sailors. Most tattoo studios are just filled with flash designs. In many places today you can still smoke while getting a tattoo and it wasn't too long ago that you could actually trade packs of cigarettes for a tattoo! There is still no government control over tattoo studio hygiene or operation, almost as if it's not really recognized as a legitimate trade. The Hong Kong discrimination towards tattooing is very slowly moving away from a really rough, underground practice but there are opposing ends of this trend. Meaning some people still really do get gangster tattoos while others see their body art as a very high-end collectable. Obviously they'd be frequenting different studios : )

We're starting to see more people get tattooed but there is still a very strong stigma attached to the practice. Most locals we have talked to still won't get a visible tattoo because they're afraid of how their family might react. Hong Kong is also a huge tourist hub and many studios cater to the walk-in traveler looking for a permanent memento.

I've tattooed police chiefs, CEO's, doctors, lawyers and many high powered executives. In the professional world there is still a prejudice towards individuals with visible tattoos - more so than in the Western world. This doesn't stop them from getting large art pieces but everything is usually able to be covered by a business suit. The Western celebrities helped bring the practice out of the shadows a bit in Hong Kong as ink made it into the public sphere. Shows like LA Ink and Miami Ink were very popular. Conversely, the whole situation can help people choose their artwork more carefully. As there is a negative stereotype attached people think more about what they really want, plan & research longer and are happy to wait for their perfect piece. Generally speaking, if it is not socially acceptable to simply collect just any type of tattoo then there is a chance that the quality of ink people do choose to get could increase.

All in all we are in an extremely early stage of acceptance of tattooing as an art form. Hong Kong is roughly a decade behind many Western countries in regards to tattoo uptake. And we're even seeing many great artists coming out of Mainland China now as the social climate there could be argued to be more accepting of tattoos than in Hong Kong!

Do you get to do much traveling. If so, where do you go and how often?

During maternity traveling can't be on the agenda for the next few months! I think walking is hard enough. One of the greatest parts of being a tattoo artist is a freedom to travel. Seeing how artists work and other cultures value tattooing is just fantastic. There are very few worthwhile conventions around APAC but I've been to Singapore, China, Taiwan and Thailand for a few. The next convention I'm planning on will most likely be in the UK and then a few over in the States. I'd like to go as often as possible but the amount of work I have here keeps me off the planes and in the studio.

Last I knew, your wait list was roughly a year long. What's it like as an artist to go so long between visits from clients, or know that you literally have NO available time to tattoo people?

I know it's really long and I'm working hard to make it shorter! The waiting time is actual bookings already made. So from consultation to application, 12 - 19 months is the estimated length of time. This of course also depends on the detail and complexity of the requested piece. However many of the clients fly in from overseas for their tattoo. As such we're usually in contact via phone or e-mail throughout. I'll get in touch right away if I have any questions or need their feedback on a project. If they come across a reference that they really like they often send it through to discuss. The waiting time doesn't feel as long as it sounds as we're pretty much in constant contact. It really is a collaborative process and I love it! I'm just so grateful for the opportunity to work with such great clients who really value their tattoos.

I'd love to know more about the tattoos YOU have? Who are the last three artists that tattooed you, and what did they do? (NOT PRINTED: You are welcome to include photos, links to artists whose work you have, etc.)


I have a portrait on my leg from Little Dragon. He's a fantastic artist and really a 'xi fu' or master of the trade. I have another portrait on my leg from Paul Booth. This was a few years ago from when he was a guest artist here at Tattoo Temple. Paul Booth is an absolute legend and just a powerhouse of a character. And my right arm is covered in large flower petals. This was done by a Chinese artist call Jia Liang. I have to get back in touch with him as it's still unfinished!

 

What are your feelings on tattoo conventions? Any specific ones that you absolutely love?

I have to get out and see more! I think anything that promotes tattooing as an art form is worthwhile. I love the community and excitement that comes with conventions. Everyone is happy to show their ink. And I think most people appreciate it on both sides - to both show and be seen. The artwork is progressing and its development will also continue to redefine how these interactions change over the years. As the quality and appreciation of the artwork grows so will the standards.
.For a female that was interesting in tattooing, what would your advice be to get started? Surely things are different nowadays, and sometimes it's hard to figure out where to even start.

Things are different nowadays and the industry is definitely more open. To me the most important point would be to simply follow your passion for art. Study and learn as much as you can! If you're interested in any art form it can all be put to use in tattooing later. All roads lead to body art in a sense. I think the differentiating factor is that great tattoos take art and then add a layer of complexity by applying it to a human body. In a sense a moving, living canvas. What art form or style you want to do that with is your choice. Just follow your passion.

A Smarter Breed

Last week the 'Tattoo Temple' application became available on the iTunes App Store. In contrast to the function specific and generally narrowly focused utility applications - Tattoo Temple Hong Kong took a more eclectic approach. Apart from their stunning artwork the app features a wide array of articles, guides, galleries, links, as well as streaming audio and video from a variety of sites across the globe. Looking through the heavily layered architecture, it is in fact more akin to a full featured website than a standard app. Although not perfect by any means, it is without question one of the first leaders in quality niche aggregation. It can be argued that acclimatization to search logic and recent mobile technology have generally constrained app development. The Tattoo Temple app both raises and answers the question: In what direction should mobile application development be heading?

 

Google has been at the forefront of search logic. Their emergent success can firstly be attributed to the cataloging and retrieval of information. Up to this point the web could be thought of as a laterally expanding collection of individual sites of information. Much like books strewn in a line across a field - access to and knowledge of a publication on the other side of the field required significant work. The Google cataloging system, relying on the users input, enabled the vertical tailoring of results. Lists of information, in descending order of calculated relevancy, could now be presented instantaneously. An undoubtedly ingenious system that redefined pinpointed access to a virtually endless supply of information. Their ever expanding array of additional features allow for greater accuracy within these results (i.e. time of publication, calculated reading level of text, country of publication and so on).

 

The reasonably communal openness of iPhone and iPad application development enables customized functionality. Accelerometers, personalized input and retrieval, multi-touch point functionality; these features on a similar scale were structural and logistical impossibilities for websites. Mobile technology allowed for a new branch of human-computer interaction. Customers personally shelf and file applications that suite their various requirements. The applications themselves are typically mirrored off the 'individual site' of information, or now entertainment, model of construction. The individual site logic characteristically being a single purpose, straight shot functionality. There is one application for viewing clothes on offer at a specific store. Another application allowing users to view works of art available in their city's museum, and so on. To stick with the same print publication analogy, mobile applications allow a kind of ownership of feature rich pages torn from various books. The iTunes catalog is a Google-like presentation of individual albeit highly customized site specific functions.

 

The Google presentation of relevant information is abundant. Overly so. Terms and subjects can yield thousands to tens of millions of results. And in the same vein, applications used for nearly any purpose can yield tens to hundreds of results. The vertical tailoring of individual site functionality is an operation method now firmly established as the norm.

 

For web searches there are huge challenges in consistently presenting such vast quantities of information. Not only is an active internet connection required but varied bandwidth may also constrain access to feature rich sites. For a layman or non-expert the amount of research required to come across a selection of valuable, worthwhile sites can itself be prohibitive. Additionally, the 'self defined' storage methods of computers requires a second stage personal cataloging of all information kept. In application selection similar obstacles appear alongside the cluttering of the mobile desktops with a slew of applications each serving their single purpose.

 

Niche aggregation is the next stage of information presentation. Rather than hierarchical lists, experts in a variety of fields will bundle information into specific applications. The beauty of this logic is twofold:

1) Simplicity. Experts present their aggregation of information. This is data that they themselves find useful in their capacity as a practicing professional in any given field.

2) Speed. Quite apart from the time it would take to independently find the aggregation of information - loading times and storage are also curtailed as the information aggregation is downloaded once.

 

The Tattoo Temple application weighs in at roughly 22MB. And although there are numerous links to outside sites - the amount of information downloaded and readily accessible is impressive. In a highly diverse field such as art and design, the presentation of only one point of view would in essence be solipsistic. Tattoo Temple's aggregation is perhaps setting the precedence for other industries or niche markets to follow. The principle of professional aggregation is the condensing of pertinent information. This model is surely the next stage not only for search logic but also application development.

Necescity Feature

Will Hong Kong Tattoo Culture Die Before it’s ever Lived?

Despite its long association with triads, tattoo culture in Hong Kong is still in its infancy but it looks like the Chinese love of coin and capitalism will prove its downfall.

Tattoos have had three main eras in Hong Kong beginning with allied servicemen stationed here after the Second World War. The tattoos had basic outlines and their quality was poor - features that remained in the 60s and 70s when tattoos began to be linked with triads. Intriguingly, however, this is a misconception. No genuine triad would get a tattoo - the police would spot them a mile away. Rather than proper gangsters getting inked, it was young rascals starting for trouble. Despite this stigma, in recent years we’ve been moving into a different era - with tattoos just beginning to be appreciated as an art form.

There’s a long way to go, but one of the artists driving the evolution is Joey Pang (above) who established Tattoo Temple in 2006. It’s one of the few studios (if not the only studio) in Hong Kong that solely produces unique tattoos. Joey’s waiting list is two years and she charges HK$1,600/hour. It beats journalism, and if you think that’s impressive, the top artists outside Hong Kong can charge up to US$500/hour.

When we visited her studio a client was getting an enormous dragon tattoo that will eventually wrap from his back to front and scare the life out of his children. In total he will have to sit for 100 hours, a journey that will span an entire year because he has to wait a few months between each sitting to allow his skin to repair. How long you can sit depends on your pain threshold. Some customers can only stomach 30 minutes. Others can last 13 hours.

Encouragingly, Joey says their clientele’s been changing over the past few years, with more women getting inked as well as more businessmen. The majority of their clients still choose to get tattoos in places where they can hide them (such as on their backs) but Joey says more people want tattoos in the first place. Tattoos may still be taboo, particularly for the older generation - but they’re not what they used to be.

The growing acceptance of tattoos in Hong Kong has popular culture to thank. Over the past decade a multitude of stars from Angelina Jolie to David Beckham have been getting inked. (Incidentally, Becks got one of his tattoos in Hong Kong at Ace Dragon Tattoo.) Hong Kongers follow their idols as intently as they listen to food bloggers, so the surge of celebrity tattoos has caused a consumer spike. Celebrities have helped normalise tattoos and, for many, removed the necessary association with gangsters.

A major issue, however, is this celebrity influence is unsustainable. When the celebrity trend dies, so will the consumer trend. What this means for Hong Kong is that tattoos will lose a significant amount of public appeal. In fact Chris Anderson, Regional Manager for the Unique Living Art Organization, believes the honeymoon period is already over. He says the celebrity phase is waning. This decline won’t affect quality artists like Joey (you don’t get a tattoo from her if you’re following a fad – not least because you’ll have to wait a few years to get a sitting) but it will affect overall tattoo numbers.

The reason people go to a pro like Joey (unlike celeb-followers) is because they see tattoos as an art form rather than just a sticker. They believe their body can be turned into a canvas. One of the reasons so few people in Hong Kong share this opinion, however, is sheer ignorance. The majority of people in Hong Kong simply aren’t aware of the colours or patterns you can produce with a tattoo gun. Why would they be? Because of the stigma attached to tattoos they're rarely shown off, and because they're rarely shown off, few people are aware of their appeal. It’s a vicious cycle and the end result is that tattoo culture in Hong Kong is decades behind the rest of the world. In fact, the artists we spoke to said Hong Kong’s tattoo culture is defined by its absence. There is none.

Alex Lendrum, Editor of Blank Skin, Hong Kong’s first magazine devoted to tattoos, said the critical factor preventing the growth of tattoo culture in Hong Kong is the lack of community between the city's artists. Most artists work for themselves and the money - not for the medium. Though this wouldn’t raise any eyebrows at Credit Suisse, it’s markedly different to tattoo culture in the rest of the world.

A case in point, having worked abroad for several years, when Joey returned to Hong Kong to set up Tattoo Temple she tried to create a community - but when she visited other studios she was treated with hostility. The artists thought she was trying to poach business. Alex found the same when he tried to establish a regular tattoo night for artists and fans. He was told it would never work because rival artists would never meet in the same place. It sounds like the school playground but the fact is in Hong Kong tattoos are seen as an industry rather than an art form. Most artists just see each other as competitors vying for the same pie, and until that changes, the culture won’t improve.

Without a community in Hong Kong, artists also struggle to improve their talents - they can only learn so much if they can't venture beyond their own studios. Joey summed it up when she said artists in Hong Kong ask each other how their business is going rather than what they’re drawing.



Another surprising feature is the lack of regulation. Red tape in Hong Kong is usually as infectious as Ebola, but shockingly there are no hygiene laws for tattoo parlours. It’s essentially up to the studio to implement whatever regulations they see fit. With needles involved it’s a serious situation, so if you’re getting a tattoo, make sure you ask whether the studio follows international guidelines.

Alex admitted there’s a significant lack of information about the industry which also makes it confusing. At Blank Skin he was trying to produce Hong Kong’s first tattoo directory simply because there wasn’t one. Alex said there are roughly 50 tattoo studios in Hong Kong (excluding bedroom artists) but no one knows the exact figure. It’s a mess.

Despite these issues a few enthusiasts are trying to push the boat forwards. The artist who inked Beckham’s tattoo in Hong Kong, Gabe, will try to kick-start a community again this year while Joey is pressuring the government to regulate. What’s more, though tattoo culture in Hong Kong is virtually non-existent, the perception of tattoos is changing along generational lines, and that’s a positive. Whilst the elderly still view tattoos as taboo, the younger generation are more accepting.

A couple of green shoots are visible but the success of tattoo culture in Hong Kong will ultimately depend on artists changing the way they interact. Such artists also miss the point that their revenues would actually improve if tattoo appreciation were to take off. For now, at least, it remains a pitched battle between coin and culture – but ironically they need each other if they’re both to win out.

by Necescity