Issue #5: Spotted in Rio!
My Favorite Tattoos From Rio de Janeiro's Carnival Festivities (2024)
The history of tattoos in Brazil dates back long before the arrival of European settlers, as part of the cultural practices of Indigenous groups. Sailors, soldiers, and other working-class folks had tattoos that they acquired at bars, ports, and even churches. Yet, it wasn’t until Knud Harald Lykke Gregersen, AKA Tattoo Lucky, opened his shop in Santos, Brazil, in 1959 that tattoo parlors became prominent - just in time for a boom in cultural relevance during the 1970s as tattoos became more accepted in all levels of Brazilian society.
Ever since, tattoos have become a part of Brazilian culture. It’s incredibly common, particularly in the urban areas of the country. From conversations I have had with Brazilians - tattoo artists and otherwise - tattoos are part of how Brazilians express themselves, their interests, and even their patriotism.
Brazilian tattooists have developed many interesting styles. They are drawing inspiration from the abundant natural elements of the country, Orixas, Indigenous cultural tattoos, the styling of famous Brazilian visual artists like Gilvan Samico or Tarsila do Amaral, and even anime - a nod to the Japanese influence on Brazilian culture. Brazilian tattoo art is just as unique and varied as its people are.
In the last two weeks, from Feb. 12 to date, I have been spending some time in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the world’s biggest party - Carnival. From the start of the trip, I was just amazed at all the cool tattoo pieces I had been seeing, and some very kind strangers were nice enough to allow me to take (sometimes blurry) pictures of their art and reference their tattoists. In no particular order, below are some of my favorite tattoos I saw wandering from blocos to clubs in the streets of Rio de Janeiro.
