The Ink Link: Cape Town’s tattoo convention

The Ink Link is an ongoing project at CN&CO that showcases the diversity of tattoos. One of the great things about a tattoo is that it goes against the commonly-held viewpoint that “what you see is what you get”. There’s a misguided belief in certain quarters that only “some” people get a tattoo. We are putting paid to that perception through the stories showcased in the Ink Link. If you or anyone you know would like to be featured, please get in contact with us.

This Ink Link was written by Carel Nolte.

I continue to be inspired by tattoos. I love the stories behind each tattoo. The artists who craft them are fascinating creatives. Their diversity knows no bounds. And there is no longer vaguely a “type” of person who gets a tattoo – they can be found on all kinds of skin 🙂

In deciding who I would write about for my next Ink Link – we all get a chance at CN&CO to write blogs – I asked for some leads on my Facebook page. And wow, what a response. From friends I have known a long time whose tattoos I know well but whose stories I knew only superficially, to offspring of work colleagues who are tattoo artists, to stories which made me laugh and others which made me cry. In short – I really couldn’t choose one (we’ll feature some in the coming months) and instead decided to do a public service announcement!

This year’s SA International Tattoo Convention will be held, as usual, in Cape Town.

The South African International Tattoo Convention is a 3-day event that hosts over 120 of the world’s best tattooers from over 20 countries. Definitely a great opportunity to get tattooed by expert local and international artists – with a massive variety of tattoo styles.

The convention is a heartfelt tattooer-owned, family operated event. I love how the organisors say: “Each year we consider it a great honour to gather an amazing group of artists under one roof. Over the convention weekend, both in Cape Town and Johannesburg, we host local bands, a beer tent, create a deck bar, and serve you street food made by the best local food trucks around.”

And, for those of you thinking that the fun stops at the event, think again. The tattooers have established a few traditions like taking the train to swim with the Cape Penguins, getting out for a boat trip in the V&A harbour and heading down the west coast for #tattoosafari.

Join us and you’ll see how fabulous the tattoo community is.

Tickets can be booked here.