Agustin Cavalieri has been exploring the secrets of Japanese tattooing for 20 years. Now at the Trishula studio in Barcelona, the former art student, now 44, shares his determination and love of Japanese culture and art with his friends, all experts in the style.
Are you Spanish, Agustin?
No, I'm from the city of La Plata in Argentina and I've been living in Spain since 1999, in Barcelona since 2003.
How long have you been drawing?
Since I was a teenager. As well as taking studio classes, I studied for three years at the University of Fine Arts in La Plata - I didn't finish my degree to be honest. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to see the work of many classical European masters. I also had a good art library at my disposal which inspired me at many moments. Although tattooing is my chosen expressive path, my artistic preferences and motivations are still very varied, but generally classical, with an existential meaning, whether western or eastern.
What was your first contact with tattooing?
At the end of the 80s/beginning of the 90s, I was still a teenager and my older brother got a tattoo at Stoppa Tattoo da Pedra in Brazil, in Barra da Lagoa. I was too young, they didn't accept. A few years later I started to see them in my own town, where I ended up getting my first tattoo from Juan Pedro "el Vatra".
When did you start tattooing?
I decided to buy a small modest equipment, consisting of a machine, a power supply, some tubes, some needles and several coloured inks. At first I was able to practice on fruit, then on my own skin and that of my close friends. I continued in this way, without an apprenticeship or the guidance of a master, which gradually allowed me to devote myself entirely to this beautiful craft. I have shared with many colleagues successes and mistakes, good and bad experiences. It is a never-ending learning process.
How did you discover the Japanese style?
It happened gradually. When I started, my sensitivity to figurative drawing brought me closer to Western realistic graphics or newschool. Then, little by little, I was attracted by Japanese tattooing. I remember the first publications in which I could see them. It was done by Japanese tattoo artists or by foreigners, Europeans and Americans. Among the Westerners I can mention Ed Hardy, Filip Leu, Chris Treviño and many others. I immerse myself as much as I can in Japanese tattooing but always with the understanding that I am a humble interpreter. I learn by trial and error, through mistakes, discussions, travel, reading... I have been studying this style for over 20 years.
Did you go to Japan to learn? Did you meet Japanese tattoo artists with whom you deepened your knowledge of the culture?
I went to Japan but not to learn. I would have loved to spend time there to do so, but I'm not complaining. I was able to travel for tourism and tattooing. My last trip was cancelled in 2020 but I hope to return soon, this time with my family. On these trips I have met many people, some personally and some through their publications. In the beginning my two main influences were Horiyoshi 3 and Horihide from Gifu. Through their first books I was able to understand some of the meaning of Japanese tattooing.
What approach do you choose when you start? There was a European version through Filip Leu and Mick (ex-from Zürich), but now the trend is more and more traditional.
Nowadays I value the whole, the concept of the body in the sense that the tattoos are part of a harmonious whole. As far as Filip and Mick are concerned, I am very lucky to have been tattooed by both of them. I understand that the graphics of their tattoos may seem "progressive", evolving. But anyone who knows anything about their work knows that they are among the most traditional tattoo artists the world has ever known. They are the structure of this emerging modern movement based on traditional Japanese tattooing. Their work has been a great help in raising my awareness.
How close are you trying to get to the Japanese style? Is it about looking authentic?
This is the style I chose to understand the tattoo profession. It has fascinated me and leads me to continue sailing its seas. Whether you just want to study it a little, interpret it or dive into it completely, you soon realise that it is as magical as life itself. Yes, I try to make it 'look' authentic.
How would you define this authenticity?
Authenticity belongs to the Japanese or to those who are completely immersed in their culture. In my case, I am satisfied that it "looks" authentic, because what I am doing is an interpretation that resembles the authentic Japanese tattoo.
Are there any designs you prefer to tattoo?
Dragons, beasts, animals, mythology, history, religious, floral... with a great background and with good pieces of black and grey so that clients can enjoy them forever, that the tattoos age gracefully.
Speaking of black, when you look at old photographs of Japanese tattooists, you realise that the tattoos have large areas of black, with very little stylisation. Isn't this black a constitutive element of this authenticity?
In my case, yes. When it comes to tattoos, I prefer a lot of black. Plenty of black is characteristic of primitive tattooing. In general, I like this type of tattoo, whether it is ancient or modern. But a lot of contemporary tattoo artists work on a brighter scale, with much less black but more detail, which I also like.
Japanese tattoo artists are supposed to know the stories behind the tattoos. Is it important for you to know them or does the artistic research come first?
In general, the more I know about the literature and its stories the better, because I could leave the part that has to do with the meaning, but it has a lot of value and has to be in harmony with the artistic and graphic part.
Which Japanese tattoo artists do you turn to in order to progress?
Today : Horihide from Gifu, Horichō, Horiyoshi 3, Horiyoshi 1, Horibun, Horiuno, Horikin, Horitsune and many other masters, of course also among the younger ones, Bunshin Horitoshi, Gasen, Houryu, Ichibay, Horihiro Mitomo,... many and many others from all over the world.
Your interest in Japanese culture goes beyond tattoos. You recently made a huge painting of a dragon on the ceiling of the Okulus bookshop in Barcelona, as if it were a temple!
This painting is a dragon that turns on itself, it is a protector. It is made of acrylic and painted on a canvas of about 2 x 2 meters. This painting is completely influenced by old wall or ceiling paintings. I like the enveloping atmosphere they create. At the moment the project is in its early stages, as the idea is to add more to the ceiling and further enhance this effect. I appreciate the freedom and trust that Lorenzo (owner of Okulus) has given me. It is an honour to have a painting exhibited in his bookshop, the temple of books in Barcelona.
Apart from tattooing, do you study other Japanese arts?
Some classical literature, cinema. Calligraphy attracts me a lot, even if I don't practice it. On my next trip, I hope to see some theatre too. Anyway, I really like the arts, both classical and modern.
You have a university education in art and you say you like painting a lot. Is it an influence on your tattooing or are the two things completely separate?
It is an influence, of course. Composition or drawing, chiaroscuro and colour, the resources I use for painting are different from those for tattooing, but the language is the same.
Many tattoo artists of the time are dedicated to Japanese in Spain don’t you think?
Yes, it's true, there are more and more tattoo artists dedicated to this style. I imagine that this will continue to increase and I am referring to Spain as well as the rest of the world. The world of tattooing is magical and Japanese tattooing is a pillar of it. Without a doubt, this is just the beginning in Spain.
Why do your customers like this style? What do they tell you?
I understand that they like it mainly because of the possibility of continuity. The variety of motifs. Endless stories, battles or dramas... And that all together they end up forming a great whole, the great work, the body. This experience has maximum appeal for many. + IG : @cavalieri_agustin Trishula Tattoo Studio C/ Padilla 212, Local 1 08013 Barcelona www.trishulatattoo.com
