Tattoo Nation

I just watched a really interesting documentary film called Tattoo Nation. It is the true story of the ink revolution and stars Danny Trejo, Don Ed Hardy and Freddy Negrete; plus a whole lot of other really cool people. It was a fascinating film that explains how tattooing evolved in the USA, but especially in the Los Angeles area. The narration and interviews takes the viewer on a journey of how tattoos were once illegal and symbolized a person as either being a sailor, a rebel, or a convict coming out of prison. Well, true enough I guess, at least in the beginning of the American tattoo culture. But tattoos went from being illegal and shunned to being hugely popular to the extent of 40% of the American population now has a tattoo. But let's back up a bit to who actually changed the face of tattoos in L.A.  It was the Chicano gang culture that were responsible for this creative shift in tattooing. Although they perfected their art while in prison, the Chicanos became masters of using different shades of the dark ink. Because of this, they were able to create real masterpieces of art. The art form changed as well. Instead of doing  generic images, they were creating artwork that was full of self expression. Art work that told a story.

This film was an excellent source of information pertaining to the  American tattoo culture. A great overview of the people, the history of the tools, and the history of the local cultures.  I don’t want to spoil the movie...so go watch it on Netflix's or you can watch for free on some internet channels (just google it.

                                          TATTOO NATION TRAILER

#TattooNation    #tattoo   #movies