From taboo to modern art

Some of the popular choices of tattoos these days include portraits of loved ones and inspirational figures. Zhuo says that people are pushing the envelope by getting bolder designs in more conspicuous spots.[Photo/China Daily]

Artist Zhuo Danting attributes the greater acceptance of tattoo as modern art to the progress of society and the influence of celebrities. Dubbed by CNN as China's "first lady of tattoo", the 32-year-old leading tattooist is one of the most recognizable inhabitants of the city thanks to her fluorescent-green, floppy mohawk-style hair and heavily-inked body.

A dropout of Harbin Normal University's visual arts department, Zhuo finished her apprenticeship as a tattoo designer at one of the few tattoo studios in Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, and became a full-fledged artist when she opened her first studio soon after. In 2006, she moved to Shanghai where she quickly became the face of the city's tattoo community.

"People used to associate tattoos with gangsters and thugs. Now they think of F1 drivers, NBA stars, football players, actors and musicians," said Zhuo, the owner and chief designer of Shanghai Tattoo.

One such celebrity who fits the bill is Hollywood actor Johnny Depp, best known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. During a press event in Beijing last year, Depp showed off one of his tattoos on his arm - a Wind Over Heaven sign from a Chinese book called Book of Changes.

Half of the customers at Shanghai Tattoo are expats while the rest are Chinese. Zhuo said that there are times when a manager or a boss, usually a foreigner, would lead a group of his Chinese employees to the studio to get inked.

"The boss gets a bigger-sized tattoo while the workers all get small ones," Zhuo said. "It's no longer just gangsters who get them. People now see tattoos as a fashion statement."

Zhuo said that it is important to determine the right location on one's body before getting a tattoo. She recalled how some white collar workers used to voice their concern about getting tattoos, only to realize that their bosses cover theirs up with clothing in the office.