Ah yes, proponents of tattoo give it a creative and artistic genre, and well deserved, but this is not something that the general laymen considers. Those that aren’t tattoo inclined as we know have a tendency to view tattoos as offensive to the naked eye. Well, a man in Germany may be just the one to trailblaze a new train of thought on that, even for the layman.
Rik Reinking is an art enthusiast from Germany, and has just purchased a tattoo to the tune of $150,000. The interesting part of this story? The tattoo is on someone’s back. Yep. The tattoo is that of a Virgin Mary and Rik has purchased the rights to it, such that the tattoo bearer must exhibit the tattoo at a gallery in Zurich 3 times a year.
Rik wasn’t at all concerned that he wouldn’t be able to hang it in a gallery like the traditional form of art, he calls it ‘breathing art’ and likes to be at the cutting edge of the wart world. His thoughts?
“I’m interested in concepts and ideas. It’s a beauty,
Tim Steiner, the owner of that tattoo on the other hand, well actually, of the back since the tattoo officially belongs to Rik, says that being on the cutting edge isn’t all its cracked up to be. The tattoo took 30 hours and is described as ‘the most awful experience of my life’. Mind you, for 150K, I could handle the heat.
And it’s not just a matter of showing the tattoo in a gallery a few times a year. Steiner had to involve himself in a lengthy legal contract that entitles Reinking, or his heirs, to reclaim the tattoo should Steiner die. And Steiner kind of thinks that’s cool, saying that his back will gain a sort of permanence, outliving everyone else. He says until then, he’s just a frame carrying a picture around.
