By Jorge Figueroa.
About 100 tattoo artists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain and Uruguay competed over the weekend at the 2014 Montevideo Tattoo Convention, where they showcased their creations and advised the public on how to "take art onto the human skin."

The purpose of the gathering "is to show our work, to make it known and peel off the drama and mystery that surrounds it," tattoo artist Giovana Dos Santos told Efe.

Dos Santos and her husband, Martin Padilla, run Dermis, one of the convention's organizers.
Working along with Lorenzo Silveira, owner of the Hardcore tattoo parlor in Brazil, Dermis invited dozens of ink artists to exhibit their creations to hundreds of visitors at the expansive lobby of Montevideo's city hall.

Over the weekend, participants competed in categories such as realism, Oriental, full color, tribal, pin-up, flash, new school, traditional, back side and comics.

"We obtained support from City Hall and also from the Public Health Ministry that has a stand to answer visitors' questions about hygiene," Dos Santos said.

"Tattoos are a serious thing and should not be taken as a fad," Spain's Colo Lopez told Efe.
"I enjoy my work a lot, but also I talk with my clients," Lopez said. "I remind them they will carry a work of art on their bodies and that's for their whole life. They must be sure about their decision."
Lopez said he liked to "wander around the world" with his tattoos and came to the Uruguayan convention with his friend, Maxi Espino, from Argentina, who shares his love for the art and work space at the exhibit.

"Tattoos still need to overcome barriers, and in Spain, for example, they are still being associated with Legionnaires or prison," Lopez said, adding that "there is a slow change in perception."
"That's why I recommend people to have tattoos on more private areas of the body so they are not that visible, which may prevent inconveniences, for example, when a young person applies for a job," the Spanish skin artist said.

The convention also showcased tattoo machines, inks, disposable needles and other tools of the trade.
Dos Santos said "almost half" of Uruguay's 3.4 million people carry some kind of tattoo. EFE

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2014/11/17/100-tattoo-artists-from-5-countries-take-their-creations-to-uruguay/