Taiwanese tattoo artist Chris Liang (梁凱皓) earlier this month won first place in the black-and-gray category and second place in the color category at the International Tattoo Expo Roma in Italy.
“I hope that my works can overturn the stereotype that tattoos are related to gangs,” the 28-year-old said in an interview after his return home.
His black-and-gray piece is a rendition of the Manjusri Bodhisattva, in which he used a “picture within a picture” technique to portray three different bodhisattvas, Liang said.
Photo courtesy of Chris Liang
The color piece focuses on the mythical creatures zhuque (朱雀) and xuanwu (玄武), and has hazy outlines instead of the clear-cut lines used in modern tattoo techniques, he said.
Liang said he became a tattoo artist by chance.
“One of the designs I created when I was studying visual communication design was praised by a tattoo artist, who asked whether I was willing to learn the trade,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Chris Liang
His parents were initially opposed to the idea, as the profession was “complicated” and often associated with gangs, telling him that they “will never allow you to take this kind of job,” Liang said.
However he gradually changed their minds and they now support his profession whole-heartedly, Liang added.
He mastered the art of tattooing in six months, he said, adding that while he learned it at a traditional store, he has demonstrated his mastery in a non-traditional way.
Photo courtesy of Chris Liang
“I strove to incorporate modern designs and novel compositions in my work, a sort of ‘neo-traditional’ method, to help separate the art of tattooing from its stereotypical connection to gangs,” Liang said.
“Tattooing is my creation of art, one that is given sensuality by the person carrying them,” he added.
With seven years of experience, during which he created more than 1,000 tattoos, and as the owner of a tattoo parlor in Taichung, Liang said he holds himself to high ethical standards.
He said he would never suggest people under the age of 20 to tattoo the names or portraits of their lovers on their body, saying that such acts could “cause a lifetime of bother.”
However, when given cause, he gladly practices his art, such as tattooing a portrait of a deceased dog, a compass on the back of a man floundering in life, or a picture of the sun and moon for couples forced apart due to the man serving a prison sentence, he said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by