By Ally Mullord
It's not very often that you feel weird about not having a tattoo.
The Hamilton International Tattoo and Art Expo was that rare occasion – I felt conspicuously under-decorated, like a cleanskin bottle of wine.
Now in its second year, the ink-centric expo is where performers and tattoo artists from across the globe, along with a fair bit of homegrown talent, gather to share their skills and showcase their work.
Inside the Claudelands Event Centre exhibitors - predominantly tattooists, although art, design, clothing and tattoo aftercare were all represented - plied their wares, while outside musicians performed to families relaxing in the sun.
The arena was an art exhibition in constant motion, with tattoos ranging from the everyday to the extreme on display. Walking through the various stalls was a visual overload - cartoonish cupcakes on a passing arm, solid black tribal tattoos covering a departing back, brand-new pink inked daisies peeping out from beneath the hem of a dress.
The tattooists at the expo did a solid trade throughout the weekend, with fresh designs and swathes of gladwrap competing for space with the faded blue ink of much older tattoos.
Designs ranged from classic - including the gentleman with a Pantera tattoo covering his back - to the more modern; full sleeves of multicoloured oriental designs, white ink tribal tattoos and an arm covered in brilliantly realistic superheroes.
The International Tattoo Expo was a showcase of the beautiful and bizarre, a sudden and striking immersion into the brightly-coloured world of body art.
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