“a contradiction between the past and the future"

The Hobo Journal headed down to Seven Doors Tattoo in east London where Alberto is currently (pre & post covid) applying his amazing artwork. We get a little insight into his background and ask his advise on people wishing to enter the industry.

So Alberto when and how did you get into tattooing? 

The first thing I did after turning 18 was get a tattoo. I immediately fell in love with this world and started visiting the studio almost on a daily basis. One year after I finished high-school I started my apprenticeship in the same studio.  Fortunately when I started tattooing I had the opportunity to join a historical studio in Bologna (BodyMarkings) owned by Marco Leoni, a famous Italian tattooer from the eighties. My apprenticeship lasted eight months and then I started tattooing my first customers.

How would you describe your artistic style? 

My favourite definition of my work is "a contradiction between the past and the future". Indeed, my style conjugates artistic elements taken from the Italian Futurism and Bauhaus periods while still keeping a strong link with the shapes of traditional tattooing.

What advice would you offer someone considering the industry as a career? And what would you say to young creatives trying to find their style or voice?

My suggestion would be to start by getting tattooed themselves and create a relationship with their tattooer, who can then start to explain to them how the whole thing works. In tattooing, as in any other type of art, innovation comes from a deep knowledge of what has been done before you. It is key to carry out a lot of research on the past to be able to build your own interpretation.

Tell us something in your personal or professional life that will blow our minds.

Travelling always leads you to witness different life situations and cultures. It is true that in some parts of the world tattooing could still be sometimes seen as a symbol of a "dodgy" lifestyle and could create misunderstandings. I was always pretty lucky as I never had any real bad experience’s. The oddest episode was in South Africa when I was called out by some local crimes gang members who thought that I was one of them. Indeed , having face tattoos often used to indicate being part of gangs, However they ended up being very friendly and let me go after I told them I was just there for a tattoo convention.

The best place you have ever been too and why?

One of my favourite places is London, the city where I currently live. The atmosphere is pretty amazing for a creative person and it is so inspiring to know how much of the history of modern art and music has been made here. I think that anyone working in the creative sector has to spend some time here at least once in their lives.