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THE
CHILANGO WHIMS OF DOKTOR LAKRA
A
LITTLE HISTORY Time passed and the mighty '80s arrived, along with the splendor of the Mexican punk scene, religiously displayed in its magnificence every Saturday in the famous and now traditional underground bazaar Tianguis del Chopo. Those where the times! And slowly, the tattoo bug started to bite. After getting some ink of his own, Lakra decided it would be cool to learn to tattoo. "Watching Piraña, one of the first guys in the business who used to ink at El Chopo Bazaar, I realized it wasn't that difficult to make my own self-made tattoo machine, you know, with a Walkman motor, a penholder and a guitar string. I started tattooing some of my friends." Lakra purchased his first professional tattooing machine in Europe, were he lived in London and Berlin for a while. "I bought it in a small town in England. I don't quite remember the brand. I didn't know how to correctly work with it. I would have to learn with time and practice, but meanwhile, I would use it with a single needle," he recalls. Not long after that, Lakra took off for the United States, where he lived in Los Angeles and later in San Francisco. His relationship toward this art as a way of life grew stronger and more definitive. He added Chicano and American traditional styles to his arsenal. "Although I lived only for a short time in L.A., that's when I started tattooing in the Chicano style, as well as gang stuff. Lettering, names, Virgins and Christs?lots of black-and-gray and fine-line work. I even did a couple of backpieces, an Aztec calendar and a helguera. It was in San Francisco that my interest for tattooing was defined." During this period, he ran into many influential tattoo artists. "Meeting Don Ed Hardy was perhaps the most influential event in my life. It happened at the San Francisco National Convention in '93. I was standing at the Tattoo City booth, staring with absolute desire at the T-shirts exhibited there. He asked me why didn't I get one, and I said I had no money, but I did have some paintings and flash. He ended up buying three of my drawings and I got my T-shirt. It was at that convention that I also met Mike Pike, with whom I interchanged some flash, plus Scott Harrison, Fred Corbin, Dan Higgs and Jack Rudy, who got some of my drawings, too." Later on, a nice friendship grew between the Doktor and Hardy, who invited him to participate in a Chicago art show in which the works of Higgs, Mike Malone, Manuel Ocampo and Hardy were exhibited. Back then, Lakra was influenced by living in an area with a strong sense of Aztlan Nation culture. He did a lot of graffiti involving themes found in his tattoo designs. "I remember doing this mural job which I got paid for with bottles of ink. In that time, I used to work washing dishes in a restaurant to make a living, and I would complement it with tattoo appointments at home."
Even though, nowadays, the original founders took other paths from the studio project, and many of the artists who originally worked there are constantly traveling, the name still brings respect everywhere it is mentioned. "Although the studio is still there, it has been kind of a logical process. After a very long period dedicating your full time to it, day and night, you might get tired or be willing to try something else. For me, this meant traveling and painting more. I love tattooing and I plan to keep doing more of it, but I'm also growing in a different direction. Besides," he tells me, "I have the feeling that, with some exceptions, nowadays, tattooing in Mexico is actually quite stagnant. Too many people are working out there, just because it is good business, but they are not making much of an effort regarding creativity, innovation or making their personal mark." When I asked Lakra about Mexican tattooing in the international context, he told me that, because of a very complex series of factors, including social and cultural profiles, as well as the economic situation of the country, "There are some great local artists, but Mexican tattoo is not at the same level as it is in Europe or the States, where you can find people who will only tattoo on their personal style or designs. Here, unless you are in a privileged position, you may have to do whatever is requested at the front desk. Not that I am against that, which is a completely understandable thing, but now if I can chose, I'd rather do the stuff I love to, such as my own designs and pieces that may end up more appealing to me." Regarding Mexican tattoo style being spread by traveling Mexican artists, Lakra doesn't think there is, as yet, a specific Mexican school or style. "I think there's general themes, pre-Columbian art and Mexican icons and traditions like lucha libre (wrestling) or the sugar candy skulls from the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. On the other hand, there are many Mexican tattoo artists that are beginning to travel, and consequently, in a way, their work is being judged and is receiving attention for the very first time. But I don't think there is such a thing as a particular Mexican style or school of tattooing so far. There are simply Mexican themes and artists have their own personal twists and techniques."
It has a deeper meaning. Take, for example, Thai magical tattoos, which work as a powerful spell for the person's life, or those tattoos from Philippine cliques that actually tell you stories. Once, I met a guy who had tattooed in big lettering the name of his cellmate. Astonishing! Or the Kalinga women, from the Philippine mountains, who could only get tattooed when tribesmen would go headhunting. The last hunt took place last century, during the war against the Japanese. Now there are only very old ladies sporting these tattoos, and when they pass away, a whole tattooing culture will die with them. For me, having the chance to meet them is something that I will always remember." "Actually," admits Lakra, "I am tempted to experiment with hand-poking or using a home-made machine for specific purposes, where a perfect finish might not be the primary goal. I actually designed one. The problem is that not too many people would be willing to get a tattoo like this. Besides, right now, with so many shows and projects, I don't think I have much time for my inventions!" PRESENT
AND FUTURE "I would also like to do graffiti again, maybe not in an illegal context anymore, because you have to be running and don't have time to completely finish a project. It would be nice to negotiate a space to work." Lakra recently moved back to Oaxaca, where the sky is always blue. He paints there and sometimes tattoos at a friend's parlor. "It's nice. I'm working and my gallery takes care of the rest. I don't have a lot of contact with the so-called art world. I like going to art fairs from time to time, though, because it's interesting watching the public's reaction to your work, especially when they don't know you're the one who made it. In addition to this, you get invited to some yummy dinners!" |
El
Doktor Lakra is one of the most interesting people in the current
Mexican tattoo scene. He's an accurate observer, of not too many
words, a fun buddy to hang out with, an unbeatable traveler, a passionate
collector of every kind of off-mainstream culture curiosity and
skillful draftsman with a delirious imagination. Lakra hasn't lost
his childhood's restlessness nor his eye-catching, peculiar aesthetic
perspective, his trademark Lakroso style, which draws from a variety
of topics and cultures. With his strong Chilango (from Mexico City)
flavor, Lakra creates on every surface available, from paper to
walls, even in (so cool!) plastic cups and, of course, on the skin.
ON
MEXICAN TOPICS
TRAVELS