Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Festival is an event that takes place every year in the American city, rich in history and art. The Latin community was represented.
Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Festival, organized annually by Villain Arts, brought together thousands of lovers of body art in the Philadelphia Convention Center. Many of them are of Latin origin, which came to bring their culture.
“We are representing our countries, our culture,” he said at his work at his work Voice of America Edison Román, a Mexican who attended the festival.
For the Cuban Frank González, also an artist of the tattoo, the festival is important is his career.
“This event allows me to meet people, companies, it is an opportunity to get sponsors and present your work,” González said.
Román and González are just two of the Latin artists present at the ink party and the body's bodily drawings. Considered one of the largest events in the world in its category, the festival stood out for the remarkable Hispanic presence between artists, vendors, exhibitors and assistants.
Iván Estéves arrived with his son Ian, his apprentice in the art of tattoo. “Ian is 15 years old and brought it to the convention to help me a bit.”
Estéves was born in the Dominican Republic and calculates that he has been in about 50 tattoo conventions throughout the country.
“People are looking for very simple things, for example, lines, small tattoos, says the 38 -year -old artist, who has been dedicated to tattoo for about 18 years.
For three days, the public enjoyed live tattoos exhibitions, competitions, music and a varied offer of products related to tattoo culture.
Among the artists present, in addition to the celebrities of the well -known Ink Master show, there are prominent tattoo artists such as Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba and Puerto Rico, who shared their experiences and perspectives on the evolution of the art of tattoo in their communities.
Philadelphia is one of the main stops of the National Tour of Villain Arts, which travels more than 20 cities throughout the country.
The event not only attracts about 40,000 attendees over the weekend, but also represents an important economic impulse for the city.
Hotels, restaurants and local businesses benefit from the increase in tourism, while fiscal income derived from the festival reinforces municipal coffers, consolidating Philadelphia as a key destination for large -scale cultural events.
In an interview, a representative of Villain Arts said that the objective of the festival is to celebrate the diversity and talent of artists around the world, creating a space for creativity and cultural exchange.
“We generate a million dollars in tax revenues for the city of Philadelphia every year with this festival,” Karl Blasphemy, part of the festival's organizing team, told VOA.
Festival attendees highlighted the vibrant energy of the event and the unique opportunity to connect with international renowned artists.
The rise of tattoo in Latin communities was evidenced in the recent edition of the Festival, where many attendees underlined tattoo not only as a form of personal expression, but also as a way to keep their cultural roots alive.
“Many people want that, they want to see our culture,” Román said. “More artists are needed, let's feel like it and help each other,” said Mexican Edison Román.