From an early age, I loved body piercing and tattoos. At fourteen, I started doing piercings on myself, and when I was a student in Arta, I started doing piercing on others. There I got my first job ever, which was in a bar - at the Thorn rock bar - and at the same time people started to discover that I was doing body piercing. The great popularity of body piercing back then and the fact that there was no one else in the area, made more and more people interested in it and they were all coming to me. That's how Christos, a local tattooer, approached me, and proposed a collaboration. As a result we opened the first tattoo shop in Arta. Just before we opened the shop, Christos gave me my first two leg tattoos. One and a half year later, I decided to leave all the shops - as I was essentially not studying - and returned to Athens. I got a bartender job again and realised that I solely wanted to focus on this. This is a short story.
Since then I have continued to get tattoos gradually in my life; all of them are rather large pieces. I really like the realistic and dark style and this is also reflected in my tattoos. The designs I have on me can not be literally interpreted, but rather symbolically, depending on the time i had them done.
Name: Achilleas Poulimenos.
Occupation: Bar owner of "Kokkinos Lotos".
Place of Residence: Athens.
How many tattoos do you have?
Five (5).
Which artist(s) did your tattoos?
Dr Pepper, Lazaros, Ozone, Bettie, Inko.
Which tattoo is your first and which one was your latest?
My first ones are the skulls on my leg, and my latest one is the realistic sleeve.
Which tattoo is your favourite and why?
I love them all.
Which tattoo artist do you admire?
Which tattoo style do you like best?
Realism.
Do you regret getting any of your tattoos, if so why?
No.
Have you done a cover up and if so what exactly?
Yes, in 1999, an old tattoo on my leg.
Have tattoos affected your life? If so, in what way?
No, because of my temperament.
Do you have an activity of yours that you would like to mention?
I travel a lot.
The photoshoot took place at Kokkinos Lotos (Zoodochou Pigis 5, Athens).
Photos by Ino Mei.
