BEYOND ORDINARY
Darkspace Art Collective tattoo parlor welcomes clients, artists from around globe
TROY, N.Y. » A new tattoo parlor has opened in the Collar City, and it’s drawing attention not just throughout the Capital Region; not just across the state; but from across the country and around the world.
That’s because Darkspace Art Collective, located at 7 State St., is not your average tattoo parlor and it’s certainly not run by your average artists.
Darkspace opened its doors about two weeks ago and is currently serving clients on a by-appointment basis. The parlor has an art gallery housed in its own separate room. It’s not uncommon for tattoo parlors to have gallerystyle displays incorporated into their space, but Darkspace’s gallery is in its own area.
All of the art at Darkspace, whether it’s on skin or on canvas, specializes in “dark art” that makes almost exclusive use of the black and gray palettes. That specialization attracts clients worldwide - or at least, it will as soon as things calm down from COVID-19.
“Clients normally come in from all over the country,” explained owner Jesse Levitt. “But this month alone, I’ve had to cancel over half my appointments because of COVID.”
Ironically, the COVID-related travel restrictions that are preventing clients and artists alike from travelling to the parlor and gallery from further away have created opportunities for local clients. People who live close by and want to get a tattoo can avoid the three-month waiting period that normally comes with booking a tattoo appointment.
Levitt describes the work done at his tattoo parlor as “more art-focused than tattoo-focused.” Most of his artists do their work freehand, focusing on the artistic side of the craft. The attached art gallery also contributes to the higher emphasis on art. Many of the pieces on display in the gallery were painted by the tattooers themselves.
“Having a separate gallery in the parlor was important,” Levitt said when describing getting the business established. “It’s giving artists a platform when a similar parlor in New York City closed. The art gallery can change people’s preconceptions about a tattoo parlor - it shows them that this is a place of fine art, that tattooing is a fine art, it’s not just slapping a picture on someone.”
Levitt himself was an artist before becoming a tattooer.
“Most of the people I want to be working with are also artists,” he commented. “I figured that having a place where we could create together, not just tattoo together, would be a good idea.”
Levitt and his team are thrilled to be part of the downtown Troy scene, and are looking forward to the creative opportunities that will come with it. Plans are in place for live art exhibits during Troy Night Out, where artists will collaborate to create a new piece of art.
Also in the works once travel restrictions are lifted are a rotating list of international guest artists and tattooers, collaborative tattoo designs, and art exhibits showcasing dark art talent from all over the world.
“Troy’s got such a good culture going on,” Levitt said. “It’s such a good community. There’s nowhere else that
has such a walkablle neighborhood.”
He also noted that the city’s proximity to the airport, hotels, and really good restaurants are also very good for business, making it easy for his traveling clients and artists to have a positive experience when visiting Darkspace. Levitt was also impressed and appreciative of the proactive effort made by the Downtown Troy BID when he was setting up shop, noting that the BID reached out to him and actively helped to make sure opening the tattoo parlor went as smoothly as possible.
Currently, Darkspace has a number of policies in place that must be followed by anyone that wants to make an appointment. Masks are mandatory - for clients as well as artists — as is a twoweek quarantine period if you travel from a state that is currently on New York’s restricted list. The tattoo parlor is set up so that each artist has their own room to work in. HEPA air filters were installed to ensure clean air circulation.
All this is in addition to the regular strict cleaning and sanitation procedures that a tattoo parlor must follow.
Levitt is looking forward to working with clients both old and new now that Darkspace is open for business.
“Half the time, my clients will have a preference or a general idea for their tattoos, and the other half of the time they just want me to put my art on them,” he said. “It’s a good feeling.”
More information about DarkspaceArtCollective can be found on their FaceBook page, at https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/ Art/Darkspace-Art- Collective-111703180589562/.