Arabic version: معرض في غولد كوست يرصد تنوّع أساليب ثقافة الوشم

According to ABC News, the Made to Suit exhibition on the Gold Coast is presenting the diversity of contemporary tattoo culture through more than 30 full-body tattoo designs recreated on canvas. Co-curator Benji Tobin said the exhibition reflects the transformation of tattooing since it became mainstream.

Tobin began tattooing in 1993 after making a machine from an electric shaver, recalling that his early work on friends did not turn out as intended. He started Made to Suit five years ago to bring together what he described as a “cliquey” tattoo community and to show the range of styles within it. Tobin, who is covered in black and grey tattoos but works in colour, said personal taste and an artist’s practice can differ.

Co-curator Dan Johnston contributed a canvas featuring 13 samurai-inspired crabs climbing up a body and united against a cancer symbol. Johnston said the work was shaped by his wife’s brain cancer diagnosis after the previous Made to Suit exhibition, making the piece personal to a journey in his life.

Tattoo artist Stephanie King said she has watched trends shift during her 14 years in the industry, including the growth of fine-line and sticker-style tattoos. Known for hyper-realistic black-and-white work, she changed her approach for Made to Suit. King said tattoo shops once offered designs selected from walls and were associated with stereotypes, while there are now more women working in the industry.

New York lawyer Tony Nguyen found King’s work online after last year’s exhibition and travelled to her Gold Coast studio for his first tattoo: a full bodysuit. He said tattooing offered a “bottomless pit of styles, regions and histories.” King has spent 12 days tattooing his torso, with his arms and legs still to be completed. Tobin said more clients now seek artists for distinctive styles and consider how separate tattoos will work together, while King said people increasingly see tattoos as art and a way to tell a story.