INTERVIEW

WILD STYLE BODY ART BY UEO

FREEHAND MAN

​

Born in Como, Italy, tattooist UEO has been inking for 8 years. He has a long-time love of art, supplemented by some formal training. "I attended the Accademia belle arti di Brera-Milan,"  he explains, "that gave me the basics, but no doubt, graffiti was more important than school to me." A graffitist since his early teens, UEO's tattoos have a distinct look to them, one that echoes the drawing fundamentals he learned in school as well as the freehand, wild-style approach of his beloved street art. He has the graffiti writer's love of improvisation, mapping out the basics on his client's body and then letting the muse take him where it may. 

Although he inks in all styles, UEO is particularly drawn to Asian-inspired tattoos. "l think that it's the style that compliments the body's shape the best," he says. "I'm working hard to improve my Oriental style—revising and personalizing it in my own way."
UEO started out tattooing himself and his friends with

 ink and a hand-tied needle configuration. He credits Max Galaverna of Inferno Ink in Novara, Italy with instructing him in professional tattoo techniques. "My friend and brother Max, took me under his wing and taught me everything he knows."

After bouncing around a few studios ("Full time at Inferno, a few months at Double Trouble in Como, every summer at Studio Enigma in New York.") in 2009, UEO opened his own studio, in the exact space where his grandmother worked as a cobbler for 45 years. And so the grandson makes a living with his hands, just as the grandmother before him did, in the same town, under the same roof. He is very pleased with the sense of continuation that provides.
UEO enjoys traveling and benefits a great deal from the tattoo convention circuit. "Conventions are very important," he says, "you can meet new and famous tattooers, make some contacts, see new equipment and generally increase your knowledge of the art. For the moment, I hope to do as many conventions as I can."

This summer you will find UEO at the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention, June 3-5, the Taiwan Tattoo Expo, August 5-7, and the Miami South Beach Expo, August 12-14. UEO Tattoo is located at via Dottesio 12 in Como, Italy. Ph: (0039) 3397968073, web: www.ueotattoo.com