Forever: The New Tattoo

Tattoos have gone mainstream. Here comes the tattoo underground

Tattoos now have mass appeal, but beyond the mainstream, a new tattoo underground has developed. It is as innovative, diverse, inspiring, and controversial as the motifs it creates. Forever is a stunning documentation of this dynamic current scene.

Forever showcases key tattoo innovators and a broad range of fresh styles. The book explores how today’s tattoo culture is strongly influenced by art, fashion, and contemporary visual culture as well as traditional tattoo art - often in surprising ways.

Tattoos, which were once an exclusively underground phenomenon, now have mass appeal. This evolution from sub-culture to the mainstream has brought fresh ideas, tensions, and shifts with it, and traditionalists and innovators have staked out very different positions. Over the last few years, new influences from the realms of art, fashion, traditional tattoo art, and visual culture have given rise to a dynamic tattoo scene - a new underground. This cutting-edge tattoo culture is as innovative, diverse, inspiring, and controversial as the motifs it creates.

One of the most striking facets of this new tattoo scene is its interaction with high fashion and art. The internationally successful artist Scott Campbell, to name just one high-profile example, began his career as a tattoo artist.

Forever breaks the mould of standard tattoo books and their typical displays of flesh. This publication is an in-depth investigation of current developments in contemporary tattoo culture. It showcases key tattoo innovators and a broad range of fresh styles by the likes of Peter Aurisch, Mark Cross, Rafel Delalande, Lionel Fahy, Happypets, Sue Jeiven, Jondix, Xed LeHead, Lea Nahon, Liam Sparkes, Tomas Tomas, Fuzi UVTPK, Tom Yak, and Yvonne Ziegler, among many others.

In addition to its cutting-edge selection of quality visuals, Forever features insightful text portraits by Nick Schonberger of Alex Binnie, Yann Black, Scott Campbell, Curly, El Monga, Fergadelic, Mike Giant, Thomas Hooper, Jon John, Alix Lambert, Guy Le Tatooer, Duke Riley, Robert Ryan, Jonas Uggli, Amanda Wachob, and Duncan X. A preface by heavily tattooed art historian Matt Lodder puts current developments in tattooing into historical context.