When talent meets sympathy by mixing graffiti, cartoon and tattoo
Discover the journey of one of the first female tattoo artist in Argentina (in Latin America the profession is rather masculine, less than ten female tattoo artists when she starts her career)< Erica studied 5 years at the National University of La Plata in Fine Arts and then spent a year in an animation school, which opened the doors of animation studios to her. She made it her main activity for eight years. She took part in projects such as "Lucky-Luke" for France and also worked for Cartoon Network on the series "Courage, the cowardly dog" among others.
Erica quickly became passionate about tattooing. In 2004, she inked her first motif a "superb winged eight-ball", "Handpoke" not by choice but by obligation. At that time she still works in animation and struggles a little financially, she can't afford a tattoo machine. We ask her how she got her first machine and she confides to us with a little smile and a lot of emotion "Oh, that's a beautiful story... My father who wasn't very wealthy knew I wanted to be a tattoo artist and one day he promised me that if he won the lottery he would give me my machine. A few time later, he wins, a small sum but he gave me everything and kept his promise". That's how Erica buys her first machine in a shop that also offers her an apprenticeship. She stayed there for nearly two years and learned by watching the others work, by reading a few magazines that were available at the time and that they were reluctant to lend her. Erica tells us, "I was able to watch them work but they never gave me the opportunity to tattoo, probably because I was a woman.” She then practiced at home on friends and then on customers. This was the start of a great career. In 2007 she decided to devote herself only to tattooing. She leaves the shop where she was supposed to learn, also stops working in animation and tattoos at home as much as possible. Erica tells us "Before I didn't think I could make a career out of it because I was a woman but it finally happened..."
Erica is known for her "New-school" style, but like many artists, in her early days, she picked more commercial themes like tribal, eagles and other tattoo classics and didn't think she could do anything else. Then she tells us "A few years ago, I worked in a kind of tattoo mall and I didn't think my cartoon designs could be a tattoo style. There were many tattoo artists gathered in this mall. And there were these guys who travelled all over the world to find books and tattoo equipment which they sold to us to make a bit of money. And that's how one of them once proposed to me Steph D's book. "Tattoo Process" was a huge revelation for me and the discovery of the new school style. We could tattoo more fun stuff. It was at that moment that I started to offer my purely new-school drawings to my customers. »
Erica Chunli, the Globetrotter fan of New-school! With the arrival of Internet, Erica began to follow the work of many new-school tattoo artists and the desire to meet them pushed her to travel. She began by making many guests, in South America, mainly in Brazil and then in Europe where she took the opportunity to be inked by artists who inspired her. Steph.D. of course, but also Jee Sayalero, Dimitri Hk and Victor Chil. Tattoo artists who also welcome her to work. All these travels allow her to tattoo in many shops in Europe. In Spain at Human fly tattoo, Family art tattoo, and Four Roses, in France at Dimitri Hk Studio and Art Corpus and in Germany at Inksane Tattoo Parlour in Bremen where she was presented by her friend Javier Obregon, another excellent Argentinian tattoo artist specialized in biomechanics. There are still trips and meetings to be made for Erica. For example: she preciously keeps a place on her leg for Logan Barracuda, one of the best Spanish new-school artist.
In 2011 Erica opened her first shop in Rosario, 300 km west of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in 2018 will move to new premises in Rosario, where she is currently working with Mati, her apprentice and Papacha, a colleague tattoo artist who is more trad and old-school. But inflation in Argentina has made rents and living costs prohibitive and Erica is not sure she can keep the latter. She may be planning to settle in Europe later.
We ask her what is her most surprising tattoo project ? "I attacked a complete Argentinean bodysuit, it's crazy to do. I asked Jee Sayalero a lot of questions to advise me on the composition and placement of the elements because he's more used to making giant pieces. It's a project that motivates me enormously and has pushed me to study composition even more" she tells us.
Graffiti and tattoo have been working together for many years. Many Graffiti artists have taken up tattooing, Grime (USA), Logan Barracuda (Spain), Jamie Ris (Holland), Noka (France), Zema (Canada), etc., but for Erica, it’s quite the opposite, she has been tattooing for a while now when she starts spraying walls. It quickly becomes a new passion and it’s another opportunity to travel. She regularly travels to Brazil to do frescoes with her friends and never misses an opportunity to "cartoon" a wall anywhere in the world.
To conclude, we must admit that Erica hates to lose at "Puta Madre de Babyfoot" (private Joke) but her perpetual excellent mood, talent and humour make her one of the most sympathetic tattoo artists in South America. See you soon Erica for new adventures.... Instagram shop : @chunli_tattoo_estudio Facebok shop: chunlitattooestudio Erica Instagram: @erica_chunli
