Tattoo competitions and festivals easily conjure up images of heavily inked tattoo artists and clients—many with silver glinting from their ears, eyebrows, noses, or lower lips; and some with earlobes the sizes of a coin to a small saucer. Every now and then, a scantily clad woman would saunter past, showing off the masterpieces on her skin. Not a blank arm or leg in sight. Almost everyone looks like they got their thing going and won’t take crap from anyone. The tattooing and drinking and socializing would go on into the night, the booze flowing with rock music keeping everyone in high spirits.

Not here at Tatú: Tatak ng Kasaysayan, 2nd Laguna Tattoo Competition, no. The event, held last August 30, started as early as 8:00 a.m., an hour when most party people are still immovable piles of alcohol-smelling flesh on unmade beds. The Cultural Center of Laguna in the provincial capital of Santa Cruz, where most formal events like oath-takings of government officials take place, was the venue for Tatú. Not a drop alcohol was served here—only free-flowing drinking water, coffee, and packed sandwiches.

Inside the dome-shaped building, 20 tattoo artists from all over the province, vying for the title of champions in the realism and ornamental categories, were hunched under white lamp lights, buzzing tattoo machines in hand, different-colored inks lined up like soldiers on their tables, tattoo designs on paper fluttering by their side, and their respective models sitting or lying down contorted. Curiosity levels were high; even some old folks roamed around, observing the tattoo process.

Different-colored inks are lined up like soldiers on the tattoo artists’ tables.

Photo by Chris Quintana.