Masterpiece Tattoo Family at Tattoo Society World Expo, New York City

From October 1st to 9th, I traveled together with our artists Clarita and Gerda to New York to take part in the Tattoo Society World Expo. The event took place at ZeroSpace in Brooklyn, a venue of almost 1,533 square meters. It was filled with talented and well-known artists from all over the world!

First impressions and arrival
 The trip began with a long flight followed by an even longer line at passport control — a full three hours — but the mood was still high. Our hotel was located in New Jersey, just one bus stop away from Times Square, with a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline. Even the taxi driver who drove us from the airport commented on how great the location was.
 The day before the expo, we spent exploring the city — sightseeing in Manhattan, a bit of shopping, and of course, soaking in the unique New York atmosphere.

Day 1 – A chaotic start and creative projects
 The first day of the expo started off hectic. The organizer, Tony, explained that many tables were missing, but we were among the lucky ones who got a spot right away.
 We had forgotten a few things — like hooks to hang up the artists’ photos and a screw for the armrest — but with a bit of improvisation, everything came together in the end.
 The first person who came up to our booth ended up getting tattooed by Gerda. It turned into an intense freehand chest piece with a flower on each side. It was a tough area to tattoo without a proper bench, but luckily, the artist in the neighboring booth was kind enough to lend us theirs for the evening.
 At the same time, Clarita started a tattoo on me, aiming to compete in the Best of Day category. The design had been finished the night before — a dove with the Statue of Liberty’s crown — an iconic motif and a lasting memory from my first trip to New York.
 The tattoo took longer than expected, so we didn’t make it to the competition that day. But when we checked the overview of the other competition categories, we discovered a new one: Best Small Color. This category fit Clarita’s piece perfectly, so we spent the rest of the day polishing the final details before we were — quite literally — kicked out at closing time.

Tattoo artist: @gerdaskarpsno

Day 2 – Competition and interviews

 The next day, Clarita discovered that her Instagram inbox was full of messages. Many wanted to get tattooed by her during the expo, and she had even received a request for an interview from @inkdifferenttattoo.
 She finished my tattoo and did the interview before starting a micro-realistic color tattoo of a birthday cake. While she was working, she was actually announced as the winner of 2nd place in “Best Small Color,” but she didn’t notice because she was focused on the tattoo. I went up on stage and accepted the award for her, then called her so she could come up afterward.
 The day before, one of the guests at the event had shown interest in a collaboration piece by both Gerda and Clarita. She came back on the second day, but since Clarita was busy, she ended up getting tattooed only by Gerda this time.
 They came up with a super cool cybersigilism design inspired by a praying mantis. During the tattoo, we found out that the client was actually the owner of the venue, ZeroSpace, which usually functions as a film studio. She was incredibly friendly and later gave us a private tour of the space.

Clarita won second place "Best small color", Tattoo artist: @Hey.Claritza

Praying mantis cybersigilism, Tattoo artist: @gerdaskapsno

Day 3 – Fully booked until the very end
 The last day began with Gerda creating a new freehand design — beautiful leaves that elegantly wrapped around the client’s shoulder.
 At the same time, Clarita finished the cake tattoo and created an impressive micro-realistic statue tattoo.
 Despite the fact that there were three other tattoo conventions happening in New York the same weekend, our booth was constantly surrounded by curious visitors flipping through our portfolios. Both artists were fully booked the entire weekend.
 Many who came by were other tattoo artists who stopped for a friendly chat. We got to know many inspiring artists from different parts of the U.S. and around the world.

Birthday cake, Tattoo artist: @Hey.Claritza

Leaves, Tattoo artist: @Gerdaskarpsno

After the expo – Exploring the city
 After a successful expo, we spent the remaining days exploring more of New York — SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, and Brooklyn. We ended the trip with an unforgettable evening on Broadway, where we saw The Great Gatsby.

Summary
 The trip to Tattoo Society World Expo was an incredible experience, filled with inspiration, new connections, and memories for life. We were met by warm people, got to showcase our art to an international audience, and brought home both experience, motivation, and an award to Norway.