Tattoo buffs admire artistry behind ink, stencils at Villain Arts Festival
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Anyone who happened to step inside the Oncenter Convention Center last weekend was greeted by the strong smell of ink and a persistent buzzing noise. Under the fluorescent lights, dozens of vendors set up tables with crystal skulls, Pokémon trading cards and, of course, tattoo guns.
“When you walk in this building, it feels like love,” Cruella Morgan, social media creator and body suspension artist from New Jersey, said. “It feels like a place for the people that are outcasts.”
From Sept. 18 to 20, the Villain Arts Tattoo Festivals traveled to the Oncenter for its first annual Syracuse convention. Walk-in tattoos from diverse artists, sideshow acts with acrobatics and awards for the best designs were a few of the festival’s activities. Villain Arts was founded by artist Troy Timple in 1999. Since its inception in Philadelphia, the festival has hosted more than 30 shows around the country every year.
Villain Arts’ inaugural Syracuse festival brought a different artist and style to every booth. Some stands sported twinkling fairy lights and vines with pink tablecloths, while others hung up cartoon Pokémon posters and neon signs, one saying “Freaks Rule.”
No two booths looked the same. Each tattooer’s setup reflected their designs and the clientele they attracted. Walking through the convention center was like being in the cafeteria in an early 2000s high school movie — the anime fans flipped through kawaii flash sheets, the minimalist patrons fawned over fine-line designs and the punk-rockers listened to heavy metal as they waited for their turn in the chair.
Something all the tattooers have in common is their passion for the art form. Like Morgan, Rob DiPiazza, a Rochester-based tattoo artist with Legacy Tattoo Collective, had a booth at the festival and said the convention is a safe space for the “outcasts” of the world. There are “nerds, cool kids, jocks, people that got picked on” and more.
“We’re the most probably accepting group in the world at the same time,” Dipiazza said. “We don’t care about your orientation, we don’t care about your pronouns, we don’t care what you’re into. Let’s do cool tattoos and let’s all be homies.”
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Tattoo artist Desmond Smith, also known as “Polo” in the tattoo community, traveled from Little Rock, Arkansas, to follow Villain Arts to Syracuse. Smith and a partner run a Black-owned tattoo shop, Hidden Vibez Studio. Showcasing his work at Villain Arts has allowed Smith to build his clientele while learning alongside other artists, Smith said.
“I’m pretty much the only one in the building from Arkansas,” Smith said. “It’s a great opportunity for me, not only because I get to bring more exposure to my state, but being able to be around great artists, it’s wonderful.”
Darcell Clinton traveled from Jersey City, New Jersey, with Ladies of Ink to the convention. Ladies of Ink is a collective of young Black female tattoo artists from all over the United States who travel to conventions and spread their talents through the industry, Clinton said.
Clinton’s tattoo journey began at 16-years-old when she moved out of her parents’ house. She had a hard time finding people in the industry, she said, but Ladies of Ink gave Clinton “sisters” and a home away from home.
In a space that Clinton said is dominated by white males, Ladies of Ink chose to take their designs to conventions to spread representation and break common stereotypes while engaging with the “super strong” convention community.
“Tattooing is a lot more than just a service,” Clinton said. “It is definitely a connection. You’re trying to get to know your artist, feel comfortable with your artist.”
Kiranjit Longaker, a Rochester-based therapist, traveled to Syracuse for one reason: to see her artist, Phoebe Aceto, at the convention. Aceto and Longaker have been working on a piece together on Longaker’s leg for the past couple of months.
“I came here with my daughter to get some more work done on that tattoo and just to be around the vibe of all this creativity,” Longaker said. “When my daughter and I first drove in and we saw people walking in we were like, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re with our people.’”
Longaker’s first tattoo on her arm stems from Kashmiri tradition, which features a half-human, half-cobra creature called a Nāga; Longaker’s father is Kashmiri himself. Continuing the Nāga design, Longaker and Aceto devised a look that incorporated a quote by Sigmund Freud, Hindu sacred geometry and budding lotus flowers.
As Aceto filled in the lotus stems with bright green ink, Longaker admired the manifestation of many brainstorm sessions together. For Longaker, the tattoo represents telling her story visually, especially processing her feelings as a therapist, she said.
One of many artists at the Villain Arts Tattoo Festivals tattooing a snake sleeve on a patron. The Villain Arts Tattoo Festivals were founded in 1999 by Troy Timple. Ruby Lock | Contributing Photographer
Michael Pacheco came from Utica after seeing the convention advertised on Instagram. Born in El Salvador, Pacheco’s Catholicism is an important part of his identity, especially after he emigrated to New York, Pacheco said.
On Pacheco’s wrist, a tattoo gun outlined a rosary down to his palm. Pacheco, describing himself as “picky” with his tattoos, sought an artist from Immortal Ink who could translate his connection with God. Coming to Villain Arts and seeing different kinds of people attend has deepened his appreciation for tattooing, Pacheco said.
“At the end of the day, everything is just art,” Pacheco said. “It’s art that sticks with you for life. I think it’s pretty cool that we get to see all these different interpretations and perspectives on art.”
Clinton said another reason she went to Villain Arts was to network with other tattoo professionals. Being surrounded by other artists improves her craft, reaching beyond norms and standards in the tattoo community, Clinton said.
For Morgan, traveling with Villain Arts was a way to meet the over 3.8 million TikTok followers she’s amassed. After meeting similar performers and artists at past conventions, Morgan learned how to sword swallow. After that, her descent into sideshow acts was a “slippery slope,” Morgan said.
Villain Arts represents a family for Morgan. Whether or not an artist knows other artists, everyone is welcome.
“There are a lot of friendly faces of people that want to talk to you,” Morgan said. “They want to learn about you. They want to learn what you collect. I guarantee when you walk in the room, you’ll find someone that is just like you. And that’s the lovely part.”
