When talking to this craftsman tattooist as he likes to call himself, we realize, whatever the art, it’s the skill that fascinates him. « I’m more into searching for skill than pure creativity and the one guy who always blew my mind since I started is Filip Leu, a legend ! He makes neo-jap with beautiful grays. I've always wanted to achieve those super smooth grays and that's why I first decided to do Japanese tattoos and I know that this style of tattoo ages well ». Classical painters such as Rembrandt, or all the sublime pieces that can be discovered in museums such as the Louvre, also impressed him. Rémi can spend hours observing the satin drapes, the realism of the faces and the work of light and shade. Likewise in tattooing, the technical artists are the ones who impress him the most: Niko Hurtado, Victor Chil or Shige... This taste for technique logically leads him towards realism, because the oriental style is not the only string to his bow. Rémi begins his career in the 90s and like many tattoo artists of his generation, it’s common to touch several styles. You can ask him almost anything.
His career : The beginning at « Bruno tattoo », the first French salon. Remi, originally from Bobigny in the inner suburbs of Paris, studies bronze chasing and graduates first from the Montmorency school exam in Paris in order to become a jeweller, but these two professional paths have no job openings. At the end of his studies, he leaves for his military service, which was still mandatory at the time. After a few months of boredom in uniform wasting his time, Rémi thinks it could be useful to him. He tells us: « These bastards, they show you videos: it would be nice to help the people who need it! And that's how I reappointed 6 months as a peacekeeper in Yugoslavia ». When he comes back, to mark the occasion and « being a lad and stupid at the time » he tells us, he wants to get a tattoo of his company's emblem, a bulldog with a blue helmet. Remi searches in the yellow pages (note for the youngest: the most popular directory at the time before Internet, it’s the beginning of the 90s!!!! ) and the biggest ad, half a page is one for « Bruno tattoo », the first tattoo shop to open in Paris in 1961, in the Pigalle district known for its red mill and light girls. Rémi confides to us "he did a good piece of shit on me ! and so that was the trigger, I thought I could at least do the same without ripping people off who’ll keep it all their lives. « He asks Christophe who tattoos in the same shop, how to become a tattoo artist. He answers "Well, go see the old man !", and so he did. "Bruno asks me to draw a rose, something, a thingy ». And the next day Rémi starts his career in the oldest tattoo shop in Paris.
A foot in the gas plant (a french expression, don’t ask me !). At Bruno's in those years there was a big crowd, there weren’t many shops in Paris. Less than ten in the 90s. Bruno was doing a lot of publicity and the elder had tattooed some celebrities like Kung-Fu aka David Carradine, all photographed in the shop.
Rémi spends three months observing, drawing designs for clients without really learning. Bruno asks him to practice on a pig's foot, « a disgusting thing to tattoo ». Then one evening, a bottle of champagne on the counter, the boss tells him « you join the team tomorrow ». Rémi puts on his green coat and there he goes for his first tattoo. His client wants a dolphin, the bestseller of the 90s. After sweating a lot, the session goes pretty well and besides, the tattooed person comes back the following week for another tattoo.
« Bruno tattoo » doesn't have much to do with todays tattoo shops. Bruno, most likely passionate about tattooing in the 70’s, became a businessman, he doesn't want tattoo artists to sympathize with the customers. At a time, there was a turnstile just like the ones you’d find at the entrance of old subways and the curious who wanted to visit the shop had to put a coin to enter. Tattoo artists had to work with the gear made by Bruno, which was of the worst quality you could find. Rémi explains « I used to do 6, 7, 8, 10 tattoos a day, I didn't really have time to get nervous, it was like Piccadilly Circus. On Saturdays in front of the shop, there was a queue of 40/50 people ». After a few months, Rémi begins to walk around in the first tattoo conventions and discovers other companies which produced better equipment. He buys his own inks, empties his ink bottles made by Bruno, cleans them and replaces them with his own inks. He mentions us that Bruno once asked him « I don't understand, how do you get your colours to sit ? they're always brighter than mine ! » and Rémi answered « Uh I don't know, I do as you explained ! » with a little bad faith. After a poorly payed year, only 20% of the tattoo price and wishing to modernize the place, he attempts to renegotiate with his boss, but the old one doesn't give up. He leaves the shop and starts looking for a place in Paris. Shortly afterwards he opens his own shop with Christophe « All Tattoo », in rue Saint Sabin street in the 11th district of Paris. After a year working together both colleagues had become as thick as thieves according to Rémi. They chose the name « All tattoo » because "all" starts with an "A" and would therefore be first in the directories at the time... A little trick so that these two newcomers in the tattoo world would be able to get by and have some customers, those two, that no one knew. We are in 1995.
After fifteen years working together, Rémi, who has developed a taste for travel and met Celine, his girlfriend, and tired of a shop’s pace, decides with her to take on a new adventure: a private workshop in Arcueil, a suburb of Paris. The « Arcueil workshop » is cheaper to run than a usual shop which allows them to travel six months a year in Asia, a rhythme that suits them well. Another atmosphere « more drawing, more painting, customers becoming friends, who sometimes stay for dinner with us in the evening ». This will last two years.
Then it is in Anglet that the couple will work: « In 2012, following a heritage and being fed up of Paris, we move to the Basque country, a little bit of sea, a little bit of mountain, a little bit of Spain and some sun, awesome ! » tells us Rémi. In 2014 they open « La Manufacture », another private workshop in Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse. Max aka Hanem joins them as an apprentice first and then as a permanent tattoo artist. They also make loyal friends, Gwendal Owan and Frankaï, Souston Tattoo's team with whom they will open « Le Garage » in March 2018. A superb, spacious shop, with the possibility of exhibiting and inviting many guests. Another friend will join the troupe on this occasion, Freako. We wish them all the best.
Report by DHK translated from French by James Links : - Le Garage Tattoo Shop : FB https://www.facebook.com/pg/legaragetattooshop/ / Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/legaragetattooshop/?hl=fr - La Manufacture : https://www.facebook.com/La-Manufacture-du-tatouage-1400344046912373/
