I don’t know where to begin from, because tattoo for me is tied to the story of my life and the way that I see it, is changing and varies according to the “seasons” I am into. Tattoo for me is ''art'' and art cannot be described by words.
It all started with a scorpion tattoo at the age seventeen, back in 1990. I didn’t care what that would mean at the time, I just wanted to have a tattoo, being mostly influenced by some punk friends of mine and their culture. This was also the reason for having my second tattoo, a decision of the moment; we were in an abandoned building, I was pretty stoned - that’ s what I’m calling my “stoned years” - and I had an obsession of getting tattooed by a punk friend of mine from Larisa, in order to have a piece of him on me. Until I got twenty-five, I made improvisations with hand-made tattoo machines as well -fortunately not so many - since I didn’t have the ability of conscious choices, because of the problems that I had been facing with drugs.
When I was twenty-six I walked into rehab and I started putting a higher power – God - in my life. I then had my first tattoo done in a professional tattoo studio; a cross which symbolizes my faith. The cross was done at Tattooland in Thessaloniki, and that was when and where I met one of the most important friends in my life, Pavlos Sanozidis. Since then, my attitude towards tattoos has changed. Actually, Pavlos was the one who helped me settle my inner self down and “grow up”, towards the art of tattooing. How? By just showing me his love for tattoos and his designs. Within the last fifteen years I ‘ve been “clean”, I have created an organization in order to support drug addicts and alcoholics, called “Arogi 12+”.
My aim is to fill my entire body with tattoos associated with the experiences that I have had in my life, important events, as well as situations that I have been into. Maybe it's also a good opportunity to see my friend Pavlos more, so that we can discuss and decide which design suits me for a future tattoo.
Nowadays, my motto is “ Love and Care”!
Name: Fanis Dellios
Profession: Counselor.
Residence: Thessaloniki.
How many tattoos do you have?
I stopped counting after the third one.
Which artist(s) did your tattoos?
Panos Sanozidis, Tattooland.
Which tattoo is your first and which one was your latest?
A scorpion (cover up). My backpiece.
Which tattoo is your favourite and why?
All of them, because they all mean something to me.
Which tattoo artist do you admire?
Panos Sanozidis.
Which tattoo style do you like best?
I like all black tattoos.
Do you regret getting any of your tattoos, if so why?
Yes.
Have you done a cover up?
Yes, my two first tattoos have been covered up with Japanese ones.
Have tattoos affected your life? If so, in what way?
Tattoo for me is an expression of art.
Do you have an activity of yours that you would like to mention?
Be you hero! There’s a solution! www.arogi12.gr
Photos by Victor Malkievic.
Assistant Photographer: Maria Ekmektsi.
