Inside the first tattoo school in Athens
Panos Georgoulias has been sketching and doodling since his early years. His artistic journey started with a passion for comics and street culture, which led him to experiment with tattooing before he found his way to the School of Fine Arts.
The tattoo and drawing school he attended, which opened just before the pandemic hit in Psyrri, across the street from the Embros theatre, has the distinction of being the first officially recognized tattoo school in Greece. The school feels like an art studio and has a museum-like ambiance, with exhibits displayed on shelves and walls. These include pieces of skin preserved in jars of formaldehyde or encased in Plexiglas, each bearing tattoos in different styles, dark-colored paintings, and photographs of strikingly artistic tattoos. Every corner of the space is meticulously organized, creating an atmosphere akin to a surgical theatre.
Panos, who appears remarkably youthful given his extensive portfolio, and surprisingly for a tattoo artist, has very few designs inked on his own body. He began tattooing in 2006 and started honing his design skills two years later. He proudly shows off a tattoo he did in Madrid on a legendary tattoo artist, Robert Hernandez, who has inked bands like Slayer and Kiss during the rock and roll tattoo phase, a time when hip-hop was not as widespread as it is today.
Graffiti and tattooing have been Panos’s passions since he was young, but these were not part of the curriculum at art school. “Fine Arts didn’t appreciate graffiti,” he says, “but I was fortunate to have Mario Spiliopoulos as a professor, who was a judge at 9 in Eleftherotypia, and everyone interested in comics and graffiti gravitated towards his workshop. He had taken over Papaspyrou’s workshop.”
“At Art School, I began with painting, which was what I always wanted to do. Graffiti and tattooing were merely tools for me. I embraced that culture with my own identity, meaning I didn’t subscribe to the ‘sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll’ ethos, I was staunchly against all forms of abuse. My painting was respectable, I navigated through school smoothly, and I strived to paint as well as I could because I loved it.”
“Most people who come to get tattoos do it for aesthetic purposes, the concept of symbolism has been lost – it was bound to happen once painting became involved. Seldom does anyone come for the semantic aspect. I don’t know if it’s a trend that you’ve seen over the years in everyone, metalheads, punks, ravers, rappers. Fashion is something that comes and goes.”
“They didn’t understand my background in Fine Arts and it was somewhat of a paradox, because it didn’t assist me at all with tattooing. Generally, tattooing was something you had to learn on your own. I was advised to ‘stick to painting, why do you want tattoos and graffiti?’.”
It’s surprising to me that many don’t recognize tattooing as an art form, akin to murals and graffiti, which have been recognized and celebrated for countless years. In fact, graffiti has been an artistic movement for longer than surrealism has been around.
I often hear people say, “Let’s do something for the youth as a municipality,” but they’re referring to concepts that were relevant in the year 2000. Nowadays, the focus is more on the 50s and 60s. The art world didn’t embrace tattooing, and the tattoo industry was reluctant to welcome artists. When I first entered the world of tattooing, the hardest part was breaking into the industry; tattooing was still considered somewhat unconventional.
When I visited my first tattoo shop – there were only a few around at the time – and presented my portfolio in hopes of securing a job, I was met with confusion. “What’s with all the charcoal sketches? Tattooing isn’t like that,” they said. It was challenging to find a shop that didn’t prioritize design above all else, but I was determined to learn the style, despite not having a professional outlook at the time.
There were many disagreements with the shop, as the artistic aspect of tattooing was not widely recognized or valued at that time. Tattooing was pioneered by Jimmy in Plaka, with the next generation being led by Vasilis from Medusa and “Niko from Alexandroupoli”. They had a basic understanding of painting and were the most artistically inclined in the scene, while everyone else was on the periphery.
Following them were artists like Mavridis, who were skilled painters, and then came my generation, who brought style into the mix. People began to seek out distinctive styles, even traveling abroad to get tattooed by someone specific because of their unique style. I was fortunate to catch that wave. However, to truly excel in the art of tattooing, it’s crucial to understand its history, culture, good design principles, and style. This is the advice I now pass on to my students.
When I first began to truly immerse myself in the world of tattooing, my initial project at school involved exploring Russian prison tattoos from the 1970s, comparing them to the tattoos being done in 2012-13. I reimagined these old designs and brought them into the modern era. My professors would ask me things like, “Are you concerned about the scarring?” and whether I was interested in artists like Orlan, known for body modification work, or Cindy Sherman. They shared a multitude of insights, but as a young person, it’s challenging to fully grasp the complexities of the art world.
You’re interacting with people who are sixty years old and they ask, “Don’t you know them?” Meanwhile, you’re only eighteen years old.”
“Do most of the people who come in for tattoos have specific meanings in mind, or do they do it mainly for aesthetics?” “If you ask someone about the history of tattooing, they’ll likely mention prisoners and the mafia. In the past, tattooing was a means of coded communication, a significant aspect of the practice. I discovered this over time, as initially, I was drawn to the style, which reminded me of graffiti and outlines. However, the coded communication aspect became its strength over the years. Nowadays, kids are influenced by the internet, where it’s trendy to adopt a ‘bad’ or ‘gangster’ persona.
Most people who come in for tattoos these days do so for aesthetic reasons, losing sight of the symbolic essence of the art. It was bound to happen once the artistry became a central element. Rarely does anyone come in for the semantic aspect. I don’t know if it’s a trend that’s been prevalent for years among different groups like metalheads, punks, ravers, and rappers. Trends are ephemeral, they come and go.
Greeks may not have much money, but they’ll still buy an iPhone and get a tattoo, because they believe it elevates their status. I can’t say if they’ve taken it too far, but I do see a lot of people regretting their decisions and coming in for tattoo removals. Currently, in tattoo parlors, the same people doing tattoos are also doing the removals.
What surprises me is that, in the past, when our parents needed to sign an affidavit for us to get something as simple as an earring, nowadays parents approach me saying, “My fifteen-year-old wants a tattoo design on his arm”. Personally, I don’t do it, because at that age, one’s preferences are usually not set in stone. But the influence of rappers and celebrities is strong, and the young ones want to emulate them.
I started the Polis Decay Art Tattoo School primarily to teach tattooing, to educate the kids, because in 2021, to be a good tattoo artist, you need to know how to draw. If you can’t draw, you’re limited to a single style. So, we divided the courses into basic and specialized, covering fundamental drawing and tattoo techniques, each lasting a quarter. We teach the basic principles of drawing so that students can fully understand the craft.
Essentially, it’s a vocational art school for young artists. It’s both a tattoo and drawing school. It’s not just for people who want to get tattoos. Our program is designed to guide young artists through various mediums. Unlike an academic art school, which often neglects to address the professional aspect of art, our school ensures students are well-prepared for the real world. No university can guarantee a job after graduation, but we provide our students with practical skills that are invaluable in their future careers. Within a month, our students were astounded by their own progress, having learned how to sketch quickly and create impressive portfolios.
This program is not your typical art class. Here, students learn how to manipulate and utilize various tools to enhance their work. Even if you have no interest in learning tattooing, the ability to draw is beneficial for designing shirts, clothes, or anything else. You will learn how to draw quickly. In traditional art tutoring, you could spend days studying a statue and it might take you a year to draw it. In contrast, our program integrates elements like digital drawing into the quarter’s schedule, and we provide practical experience on skin for those interested in pursuing tattooing.
I don’t insist that everyone become a tattoo artist. Tattoo artists should be lifestyle artists who also do tattoos. They are the ones pushing the boundaries and evolving the art of tattooing. Simply being able to create dark roses does not make you a tattooist.
The older generations often believe that tattooing cannot be taught. They, like me, learned it on their own and therefore think it’s something that can’t be passed on. However, this is not true. Everything can be learned. They may feel somewhat inferior to a young artist who has better access to information and is progressing faster than they did. They may feel as if they are growing older and being left behind. But it’s the younger generation who are getting tattoos, not the older ones. In this profession, if you’re over forty, you won’t attract the same clientele as a younger artist because a young person doesn’t want to go to someone their parent’s age to get a tattoo.
Tattoo artists do not need a degree. The artists I choose to teach are communicative, a trait not common among tattooists. Being a good artist, a good tattooist, and a good teacher are three different things.
The teacher also needs to be patient. I started by selecting tattoo artists who are recognized for their style in Athens, or those already established in graffiti, who have been immersed in the culture since the 90s. They can help students connect more closely with drawing. I welcome anyone who comes to learn.
Tattooing isn’t like accounting where certification is required. It’s about doing your job well. Our school helps you learn with guidance from someone more experienced, allowing you to delve deeper and progress faster. However, you will ultimately determine your own path through hard work.
The exhibition I’m currently working on will focus solely on painting, unrelated to tattooing. The experience will take place in an unpredictable setting, far removed from what you might typically anticipate. The permanence of a tattoo is, in reality, finite; no tattoo lasts forever. Not even a piece created by the world’s best tattoo artist can be considered priceless. In contrast, the value of exquisite paintings is boundless. Thus, I am pursuing the concept of timelessness, and I am deeply intrigued by the legacy I will leave behind.”
