Kathmandu

Tattoos have gained wider social acceptance today, and more and more people, men and women alike, have them. And the 6th International Nepal Tattoo Convention is one platform where female tattoo artists get wider acceptance.

Every year, a number of female tattooists from different parts of the globe arrive in Capital to be a part of this Convention and leave their indelible impressions on their clients. This year is no different — some 25 female tattoo artists, including one from Nepal, are displaying their tattooing skill at the three-day Convention.

On April 2, Ona Cots, all the way from Spain, was waiting for her client in the Convention. Thirty-one-year old Cots, who learnt tattooing during her late teens felt the “lack of respect for female tattoos then”. But now people respect female tattoo artists too, she expressed.

Despite the respect, it is challenging to be a female tattoo artist for Lelia Paniagua, an Australian tattooer. “There were times when we were not accepted as artist — be it by the male tattooists or by other people.”

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But she has begun to feel the change. “These days women artists are regarded as gentler. They are thought to be the ones who add more details in the art and pay more attention to the clients as compared to male tattoo artists,” stated Paniagua who specialises in neo-traditional work — a mixture of old and new school art. And to showcase her “gentle skill” of tattooing, Paniagua is here in the Convention with her two other female colleagues.

However, had it not been her husband Pralhad Shrestha, Sabita Maharjan of Tike Jhya Tattoo, Basantapur would never have been in this field. “I was encouraged by my husband to come in this field as there are very few female tattoo artists,” revealed Maharjan, who prefers water colour style. Nonetheless, some people are sceptic about her work. “People often are surprised seeing a female making tattoos. But those who have seen my work do not hesitate to get inked from me,” she shared with confidence.

The confidence was evident in French artist Marie Hirondelle too. In her first visit to the Convention, she was all prepared to ink her kind of tattoos — traditional and new school tattoos, with a focus on animals, birds, and flowers. “It’s been four years, that I have been working as a tattoo artist and it’s getting easy day-by-day even for female tattooist to survive in tattoo world,” expressed Hirondelle, whose clients are mostly girls. “They feel comfortable as I am also a female. Some don’t like being touched or watched by males during the tattooing process. So, there are definitely some advantages being a woman in this field.”

Women getting inked

Among a number of tattoo lovers who were getting inked at the Convention, Adya Shah was one of them. “I tattooed my grandfather’s name — Sundar Prasad Shah — in Nepali font,” she said, showcasing her first ever tattoo on her wrist.

“It’s been eight months that I lost my grandfather and when he was with me I used to tell him that I would ink his name on my wrist. He used to tell me not to get a tattoo as the process is painful,” revealed Adya, who was at the Convention mustering up her courage to make a tattoo in her “grandfather’s memory”.

But Sunima Rai, an ardent tattoo lover, was looking forward to get her second tattoo at the Convention. “The Convention has become a place to get answers to my questions about getting a tattoo and I am happy to be here. I am going to get a tattoo of ‘semi colon, heart, and line heartbeat’ today. It means there is a pause in my love life and I am looking forward to finding my love.”