Magic Ink is the largest tattoo community in Indonesia based in Denpasar, Bali. The initial idea of Magic Ink Community was to increase knowledge, especially in the tattoo industry, and to bring together friends in the tattoo community to create a wider network.
Magic Ink was established in 2010. At the beginning of Magic Ink, the members who joined had released a printed version of a magazine to introduce tattoo art to the public, Magic Ink Magazine. But along with the rapid development of the digital world, Magic Ink continues to advance as one of the largest tattoo communities in Indonesia by continuing to create content on social media and also helping to promote tattoo artists from all over Indonesia.
Magic Ink community also regularly releases merchandise and organizes Indonesia’s largest annual tattoo event, the Bali Tattoo Expo.
Magic Ink focuses on everything related to the tattoo community. From the development of techniques, profiles of tattoo artists, to events organized to advance the community. Magic Ink community strives to educate the public about tattoo art and provide a platform for artists to express their work.
In the past ten years, tattoo art in Indonesia has shown rapid growth. Not only in Bali, which is often considered the center of art and culture, but also in other parts of Indonesia. This includes an increase in the number of tattoo artists, more tattoo studios, and more people accepting tattooing as a form of artistic expression.
Magic Ink regularly organizes events for the tattoo community. One of the regular events is “Tattoo Chill Out”, which is held 12 times a year, but this event is no longer held every month due to limited time and human resources. Although there are plans to hold international events, the community’s current focus is more on supporting local artists, especially those who are just starting out. In some contests, artists who often win are not even allowed to participate again in order to give other artists a chance to shine.
Despite the growing acceptance of tattoo art, there are still many people who hold negative views towards tattooed individuals, associating them with criminality. The Magic Ink team argues that such views are no longer relevant. They emphasize that criminal acts have nothing to do with having a tattoo or not. These assumptions need to be changed so that society can be more open to tattoo art.
Magic Ink’s hope for the tattoo community in Indonesia is that the art continues to progress and become more widely accepted, both domestically and abroad. With the right support, tattoo art in Indonesia can be part of a rich and diverse cultural identity, and an inspiration to many.
