“Enjoying a hot afternoon around Legian, accompanied by bottles of wine and a nice chat.” Yes, our profile column this month features a man from the friendly city of Malang, whose hobby is to linger with wine (that’s what makes us feel at home to chat with him—ed.). Here is our relaxed chat with Gesang in the midst of busy life for tattoo, photography, and wine... Check this out.
Knowing tattoo from the roads, terminals, and markets association, he became interested in tattoo and the art around the year of 93-94. At that time, he was in high school and began to consider tattooing as a professional job when you were graduated from school. “In principle, all of which form the character of a person is their environment,” he said. Maybe that’s what determines the characteristics of a Gesang. He really likes the decorative pictures (painting), Maori, and biomechanics drawings.
Family and friends also said had been credited with making him as much now. Everything he learned in autodidacts only by pictures. Until finally in mid 99, he moved to Bali with only bring tattoo and painting skills. By becoming a freelance
tattoo artist in Bali, many experiences have forged and made him like now. Starting from Dhodho Tattoo, Tattoo Gung De, and Ka’s Tattoo, until finally docked at Irezumi Tattoo which is now better known as Gesang Tattoo. Gesang had learnt a lot with them (Dhodho, Gung De, Rheno, Gus Tu).
According to this one-child-father, the family is a source of happiness and inspiration. Bali is the perfect place for tattoo because they closely relate to tourism. The big number of
tattoo studios in Bali is not a problem, the proliferation of
tattoo studios are not a hindrance or competition. “Every person has their own abilities, their own market, quality and fortune alone, everything is set by the God,” he said. Defining a work and compete fairly with the work, both promote tattoo. “Indonizing tattoo and tattooing Indonesia,” he added.
Gesang commented, “Magic Ink is a magazine that dared to make a breakthrough to advance the tattoo, as a media of reunion, friendship, and relationship.” He fully hopes that the Magic Ink would make the activities more often, and not too stingy to receive input from anyone, raise the educational contents, strengthen pages, to make society more familiar with tattoo, and hopefully be able to make them realize that tattoo is an art.
