Tattoo expo concludes with anticipation of future editions
KUCHING: The Kuching International Tattoo Expo 2024 reached an exhilarating conclusion on Sunday night with the announcement of three overall winners from each category of its tattoo competition.
Katribu Tattoo from the Philippines clinched top spot in the Traditional Hand-Tapped Tattoo category, while the designs from Indonesia’s Durga Sipatiti secured both second and third place.
The competing tattoo studios were allowed to present more than one design for each category.
Katribu Tattoo’s artist Desk Mullen, 34, said the winning entry’s inspiration stemmed from the textures of snake and ‘carabao’ skin.
“The tattoo we do embodies traditional Filipino motifs. The design is inspired by the fusion of styles from the northern region of the Philippines, reflecting my origins, and the Mindanao style, as the executing artist Jonathan Cena hails from there.
“We collaborated on refining the design before finalising it and proceeding with the tattooing process on my skin”, he told reporters.
Mullen said he served as a model for Cena’s design during the competition’s evaluation phase.
The top honours in the Realism Tattoo category was awarded to 30-year-old Billy Sarte of Hell Ink, whose designs secured both first and second place, with Xiao Qiang in third placing.
Sarte, also from the Philippines, expressed his surprise at winning the category, saying that his initial goal was merely to enjoy taking part in the expo.
“At first, I was a bundle of nerves, barely even daring to entertain the thought of winning. But to my astonishment, here I am, victorious,” he said.
In the Freestyle Tattoo category, Han Tattoo’s design clinched first spot, followed by designs by Nagaia and Xiao Qiang in second and third, respectively.
In addition to the three main categories, each day of the event, which ran from April 5-7, also featured a winner for the ‘Best of the Day’ tattoo design.
The success of this year’s tattoo expo held at the Dayak Bidayuh National Association Hall, has led to calls from tattoo artists, guests and enthusiasts for future editions to be held.