I got my first tattoo in 2006. Over the next few years I “added” new ink to my body every year. It has always been something purely aesthetic for me. I consider it an art form and everyone has their own view of what sort of art it is and their own right of where and why they will “decorate” their body with a design. Due to the fact that the taboo surrounding the tattoo has almost disappeared over the past few years, I think I will start getting tattoos in places I would previously have had second thoughts about... Among the ones I have done until now the tattoo by Thomas Gramm (Nico Tattoo) on my leg and the tattoo by Alex Gotza (Dirty Roses Tattoo) on my chest are my favourites. We have now started my back with Vaggelis from Nico Tattoo and I hope it will be finished before summer begins.
Name: Oikonomou Vlasis
Profession: Barman.
Residence: Thessaloniki.
How many tattoos do you have?
Seven.
Which artist(s) did your tattoos?
Alex Gotza (Dirty Roses), Thomas Gramm (Nico Tattoo), Pandelis (Dirty Roses), Kith, Helena.
Which tattoo is your first and which one was your latest?
The heart behind my arm / the skull & roses tattoo on my leg – knee.
Which tattoo is your favourite and why?
The skull & roses tattoo because I adore this spot.
Which tattoo artist do you admire?
Vaggelis (Nico Tattoo).
Which tattoo style do you like best?
Neo Traditional & New School.
Do you regret getting any of your tattoos, if so why?
No.
Have you done a tattoo cover up?
No.
Have tattoos affected your life? If so, in what way?
When I wake up in the morning I m happy to see me.
Do you have an activity of yours that you would like to mention?
Slacking since 1984.
Having lived through all this fuss about tattoos and seeing my brother gradually fill up with them, I always thought there would come a point when I would also get some tattoos. In the end I have absolutely nothing, for now. If you think about it, being twins, I have the perfect design in my mind about how I would look with tattoos. One good thing this twin situation has is that because one of us is totally “clean” while the other has quite a bit of ink, people who don't know us can easily tell us apart! I'm not ruling out getting the same tattoo on the exact same spot as my brother in the immediate future, just for fun, even though he really doesn't want us having the same ones.
Name: Oikonomou Kiriakos
Profession: Unemployed.
Residence: Thessaloniki.
How many tattoos do you have?
Zero.
Which artist(s) did your tattoos?
None.
Which tattoo is your first and which one was your latest?
None.
Which tattoo is your favourite and why?
None.
Which tattoo artist do you admire?
Thomas (Nico Tattoo Thessaloniki).
Which tattoo style do you like best?
Old School.
Do you regret getting any of your tattoos, if so why?
-
Have you done a tattoo cover up?
No.
Have tattoos affected your life? If so, in what way?
No.
Do you have an activity of yours that you would like to mention?
No.
HeartbeatInk would like kindly to thank Alexandros Pavlidis for the hospitality and the realisation of the photoshoot.
Photos by Ino Mei.
Assistant Photographer: Victor Malkievic.
