Tattoo artist tries to erase lingering stigma

By Tedy Novan

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The soft burr of the tattoo needle can be heard beneath the upbeat country music in the tiny room. The punk-styled young man daubs a man's back with alcohol and starts to sketch. All done, he drops a blob of ink onto the outline of a scorpion.

"Thank you, I really like it," says David, a tourist who has escaped from his job in cable services in Britain for a vacation in the tourist belt around Malioboro in Yogyakarta.

Slamet Rahardjo, 28, is a tattoo artist whose clientele is mostly the tourists in the backpackers' kampong of Sosrowijayan. His nickname is Atonk, and the sign "Atonk Pure Black Tattoo" is posted on the front of the Surodinomo guesthouse where his small studio is found.

Atonk is one of 50 tattoo artists in Yogyakarta. He tattoos three to four people daily during his working hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The designs, made according to the client's own preferences or picked from Atonk's selections, are usually no larger than 200 square centimeters. These cost around US$30.

Sometimes, customers want larger tattoos, such as a dragon weaving its way from the back to the chest. A more intricate design can cost up to $250.

Tattooing is a business, but it is also an art, Atonk says. "I am an artist."

Tattoos carry stigma for most Indonesians. "People always associate tattoos with criminals," Atonk says.

This is despite the fact that body tattoos are also found in several Indonesian ethnic groups. "Tattoos are Indonesian cultural heritage that should be respected and preserved, he said. "They should not be derided."

Atonk is doing his utmost to end the negative perceptions as secretary-general of The Java Tattoo Club. Established earlier this month, it is the first group devoted to the art in Indonesia, with 250 members and chapters in 13 cities.

As an artist, he refuses to rely on hackneyed designs. Instead, he uses his drawing ability from his years at an art academy in Yogyakarta to create new ones. These are often whimsical variations on common designs.

"It turns out that my customers like these designs because they don't look like general designs," says Atonk.

Customers, intent on their own designs when they arrive at his studio, sometimes change their minds when they see his portfolio of 500 designs.

Most clients want tattoos which represent something about them. David chose the scorpion because Scorpio is his zodiac sign.

"A tattoo is a symbol or a reflection of a history of a person, or a symbol of an occasion that means a great deal to a person," says David.

Choosing a tattoo is vested with personal importance, Atonk adds.

Women are among his customers. Most of them get tattoos on the parts of the body covered by clothing, such as their breasts or thighs.

Atonk says he is not concerned about contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), although there is a risk whenever needles are used and skin is broken.

"Tattooing equipment has high potential to spread various diseases, but this is not a problem if we are careful about sterilization."

To prevent against the spread of HIV, hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases, he wears rubbers gloves. He sterilizes the needles he uses with disinfectant, as well as holding them in an open flame for several moments. He says he immediately disposes of any cotton wool balls and remaining ink after an individual tattooing.

He started tattooing himself when he was in high school, but decided to pursue it as a career while still in college in 1990. Many of his classmates tattooed themselves as works of art.

Atonk studied every aspect of tattooing, including techniques in using equipment, human anatomy, medical concerns and even tattoo philosophy. He studied all the literature he could get his hands on.

"I really prepared myself to be a professional," he says.

Atonk started his career using a homemade tattoo machine, with his college friends as his first customers. After his customers grew to include foreign tourists, Atonk bought an Eagle Pac tattoo machine, imported from America and costing Rp 1 million. It has a complete set of needle sizes.

In studying his art, Atonk has traveled to England, America, Australia, and New Zealand. He apprenticed with world-class tattoo master, Tony Cohen, in Melbourne, Australia. At that time, he opened a tattoo studio in Victoria Tattoo Market.

He dreams that the Java Tattoo Club will bring tattooing the respect it deserves in this country. "Wait another five or six years, and we'll be a party."