THE SAPHIRE TATTOO

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In 1993, an art show at the Laguna Art Museum rendered us a new term, “Kustom Kulture”. The art show title was a thinly disguised pretense for an underground art show featuring a whole host of west coast underground, and outlaw artists, many of whom stood little chance of getting into an art show. The show feature 3 prominent names from the world of hot rodding, “Von Dutch”, “Big Daddy Ed Roth” and Robert Williams. The show was a huge success, and as a consequence it turned the heads of the fine art world west. The show’s title came to represent the unique influence that living in this geographic location, the hot bed of hot rodding, rock n roll, Hollywood, and surfing had on those who grew up out on the west coast. As a result of all the notice and attention, certain previously ignored art forms, like pinstriping, custom paint jobs, t-shirt art, and the art of tattoos gleaned some way overdue legitimacy as art in the eyes of the art world and both underground and mainstream culture.

Read the rest of this article in ISSUE 11: BRENT'S '27