Son of a lumberjack, cook, bouncer then tattoo artist, Roberto Dardini's career commands respect. He knew how to make his relational ease, his rigour and his calm, his trademark. On the artistic level, his realistic trash style feeds on his pictorial experiences to renew himself. Tattoo artist for more than 20 years and founder of shops and emblematic events in Paris, Roberto loves to devote himself to painting and his sheepfold in the woods.
Willingness to undertake
After an apprenticeship as a cook at the age of 13, Roberto started by working in a famous Alsatian restaurant and obtained the title of best apprentice. This very formative job allowed him to acquire qualities that served him throughout his career: rigor, perseverance and aestheticism. Already at that time, he was attracted by the beauty of it; « what I liked in the restaurant business was the decoration of the dishes, the aesthetic side. » Years of self-employment in the hotel business industry followed. He then discovered Lyon’s nightlife as a nightclub bouncer, as well as practicing his tattooing skills.
Once the decision of becoming a tattoo artist was made, Roberto went to Paris, bought his equipment from Bruno de Pigalle and trained tirelessly before joining the team at Le Chat percé. He initiated the tattoo activity in this unavoidable piercing shop during 4 years. « Getting into tattooing was easy. If you knew how to make a realistic portrait, you were like an oil magnate. The level was not as hard and technical as it is today »
He then created Art Corpus in 2004. At that time, it was necessary to know how to do everything, from Polynesian to realism, through tribal and Chinese letters. The team was reduced to it’s apprentice David Morrison. Léa Nahon and Ludo de G-gen soon joined them and the team grew to a dozen residents. For Roberto « the team is family, it's a crazy energy, we’re still working together today, beside tattooing, it's my greatest achievement. » In parallel with the Art Corpus adventure and in response to very strong demands, Roberto launched the Tattoo Art Fest in 2009, a tattoo convention in Paris The idea is audacious: to break the codes and clichés of tattoos. Tattoo artists, cartoonists and graffiti artists mingled with skaters in a resolutely modern and inspiring atmosphere. « One of my dreams today would be to organizing a convention in an old chapel with a classical music concert. »
When he left Art Corpus in 2013, it was to go green. To leave for the Pyrenees, in an old sheepfold in the woods. For a lumberjack's son, living in the forest is not impossible. His project was to create a tattoo studio secluded in nature, where immersion would be total. From the individual project, and with a medium-term goal for the future, was born the desire to build a new Parisian space with his "skin dealer" friends. A real home base. In collaboration with Lionel Fahy and Adrien Boettger, Roberto opened « Les Derniers Trappeurs » in 2018. A 210 m² shop with a dark, muted and warm decoration. Estelle Garbo, Sacha Made with love, El Patman, Louise la Brocante and Mr Grognon joined them. The family spirit reigns in this private workshop which really cares for its customers.
Respect above all
When Roberto is asked what qualities are necessary to be a good tattooist, he answers without hesitation "the basis is respect for the person. There is no such thing as a bad idea and respect for the client allows us to live. " It is this calm and reassuring kindness that ensures him, in addition to a certain talent, a loyal clientele. Some clients come back and ask him for a cover up sometimes 10 years after being tattooed in the first place. "It's a lot of fun, but there's a big evolution between my beginnings and now. I'm so happy they come to see me. I didn't necessarily have the technical knowledge that I have today. "With time and experience, Roberto knows exactly what tattoos he wants to do. He knows what is visual and impactful, and what grows old well. With his clients, he takes the time to explain to them his choices regarding the layout of a design, according to the person's morphology or to understand what emotion needs to be translated. "The tattoo will enhance the body and the body will enhance the tattoo. » "We have a clientele that matches us. People I currently have couldn't go get a tattoo from a 30-year-old artist. I tattoo 50-year-old people who are bankers, cops, lawyers, notaries or business leaders. They need to have confidence. » What’s next?
Why painting? Because it is a source of total freedom. Accustomed to body constraints, painting doesn’t oppose any limits. This practice allows him to break the routine, to reactivate passion and even to nourish his tattoo skills. "In a few years, I would like to live half the year in the woods and the other half in Paris. I need to find a balance. I could tattoo a few clients in the wilderness and paint, then go back to Paris for exhibitions. »
From the time when tattooing was a synonym of rebellion and marginality, he certainly regrets simplicity and rarity of this act. Democratization is well underway, with its share of good and bad sides. And it evolves quickly, sometimes too quickly. He is open-minded but admits that face and eyes tattoos are a problem for him. Too extreme. "In my time too, it was too extreme. Guys who were in suits and ties and had more than 50 piercings on their private parts, I've known that for 20 years, but it was intimate, it didn't touch the face. »
Competition doesn’t worry him, quite the contrary. The current technical level is so high that it allows him to surpass himself. As for the future of tattoos, he has his own little idea. "There are so many young people who want to become tattoo artists that we will come to a new method of working like hairdressing salons. There will be a boss and employees ». To him, one day it will be necessary to have a CAP diploma to learn anatomical and technical bases of tattooing in order to practice professionally. Could he be a visionary? @robertodardini
