Best Tattoo Documentary Movies
If you are a true skin art enthusiast you should get to get to know more about our culture and its origins. There are currently many informative documentaries covering all aspects of body art. A wide range on this list, from historical to modern extreme transformations! Here’s a list of our favorite tattoo documentary movies!
Ed Hardy
Body art wouldn’t be where it is now without the input of legendary Ed Hardy. He inked for over 40 years, started with doing pencil tatts when he was a kid, and moved to 20$ flash tats on hundreds of servicemen (San Diego). Subsequently, he opened the first custom-only shop in America (San Francisco). Ed speaks about his inspirations regarding Japanese artists such as Kazuo Oguri and how he became one of the few non-Japanese artists that perfected that style. He managed to bring it to the masses in America, which for the time it was a great achievement. Ed stopped tattooing around 10 years ago and now focuses on his fine-art paintings and his extremely successful clothing line. From Madonna to Snoop Dog all wear the Ed Hardy brand. At Gorilla Tattoo Paphos we are big fans of Ed Hardy’s work and influence in body art culture. Some print art of his can is displayed at our Paphos tattoo shop.
The Last Kalinga Tattooer
The astonishing story of Whang-od, born in 1917 in Philipines, possibly the last traditional Kalinga tattooer, employing a sort of small hammer dipped in ink to create amazing work. Just getting to where she lives takes 2 days and it’s not a trip for the faint-hearted. She uses thorns from a lemon tree as ‘needles’ and handmade ink from charcoal, water and sugarcane juice to create intricate ‘tribal’ patterns!
Prison Body Art
Prison body art can literally cover every inch of the skin. It is of special significance to prison inmates showcasing their status, done behind bars and breaking the law. The question is, how can someone inject ink in such a controlled environment with no equipment whatsoever? Let’s find out in this intense prison tattoo documentary!
Brutal Black Project
If you have a sensitive soul, you should probably skip this documentary. This project is not about beautiful, inspiring skin art. In contrast, it is about next-level pain inflicted by multiple huge needles on the whole body and face. We are a bit lost for words when it comes to writing more about this so check it out and you be the judge!
Korea’s Beauty Scene
There are many places in the world where permanent body art is still illegal, and Korea is one of them. Above all, it is not perceived well socially and people take offense when they see any form of body art on the streets. Having said that, it has one of the world’s faster-growing, technically advanced beauty industries This is rather ironic as body art also falls under beauty perception. It is a symbol of rebellion and is only kept underground, behind closed doors. The story follows one Korean girl, in a bodysuit that always wears long sleeves in front of her parents. Their reaction when she reveals it to them is interesting, to say the least.
Eye Scleral Tattoo Documentary
Luna Cobra came up with the concept of eyeball tatts in 2017. The process has nothing to do with conventional tattooing, and it is done by injecting drops of ink in various areas under the surface of the conjunctiva. The ink spreads and ultimately covers the white part of the eye. Therefore, considering how extreme it is, less than 100 people have it in the world! This is an extremely risky procedure that can lead to complete blindness, visual impairment, infection, and pose threat to eye health.
