“Tattoo Royale was never about numbers. It’s for the culture, for the artists who built this thing and the people who keep it alive. Lugano gave us the room to say thank you properly, and this is only the starting point.”
With these words, Antonio “Macko” Todisco sums up the spirit behind the first edition of Lugano Tattoo Royale, held September 11–13 at the Centro Esposizioni in Lugano.
At Tattoo Life, we strongly believe in supporting this kind of event: conventions organized by people who come from the tattoo world, understand its history and are willing to invest in new meeting points for the culture. The success of a convention should not be measured only by the number of visitors through the doors. What matters is the quality of the experience created for artists, clients and the tattoo community.
And in this respect, Tattoo Royale delivered.
“Quality first. We didn’t want a fair; we wanted a room where the level of the work itself would be the main attraction.”
This philosophy was visible throughout the convention. The booths were spacious, comfortable and carefully designed around the needs of tattooers and their clients. There was room to work properly, but also a clear attention to every practical detail and to the artists’ needs throughout the three days.
The selection of artists was equally deliberate. More than 350 tattooers from different countries were involved, with no traditional open call. Instead, the selection focused on the artist’s work, the person behind it and, as Macko puts it, “what they give back to this world.”
The result was a remarkable mix of generations, styles and cultures, bringing together names such as Nikko Hurtado, Nissaco, Ichibay, Jondix and Yoan Delastre with artists from Switzerland and an international roster including the Covallero brothers, Francesco Bianco, Guy Le, Jeff Gogue, Juan Puente, Ami James and Paul Dobleman.
The jury itself was a statement: Filip Leu, Tin-Tin, Luke Atkinson, Juny Salmon and Mark Mahoney. Five major figures who, in different ways and from different generations, have contributed to shaping tattoo history.
Their presence gives the tattoo contests a particular significance. Competitions are not simply entertainment: they are one of the moments when tattooers can put their work in front of respected peers, gain recognition and potentially consolidate their professional careers. At Tattoo Life, we hear this repeatedly in our interviews, with artists often pointing to convention awards as important milestones in their development.
Macko is also realistic about the first edition:
“We didn’t expect a huge audience for a first edition. Switzerland is new to this type of event and will need an extra push in the future to understand the scale of what we are building. But we are already working on it.”
That honesty is important. A new convention needs time to find its audience. What cannot be questioned, however, is the quality of the platform that has been created. And Tattoo Royale was more than a convention. Antonio managed to turn it into a celebration of tattooing, culminating in a major Sunday night party and, above all, creating a genuine reunion of artists from around the world.
“The most important thing for us was the interaction, both on social media and with the institutions. It’s a sign that you have built something for the culture, not just an event.”
That may ultimately be the best way to look at Lugano Tattoo Royale. Not as a finished product, and certainly not through the simple measurement of attendance, but as the beginning of a new crossing point for tattoo culture.
The first chapter has been written. Now comes the interesting part: seeing where it goes next.
FRIDAY BEST COLOR TATTOO
1st place Chen Lin @ytztattoo
2nd place Outlawink Sen @sen_irezumi
3rd place Daniel Velasco @danielvelascoart
FRIDAY BEST REALISTIC TATTOO
1st place Holy Tomo @holytomo
2nd place Alex Zakharov @zakharovtattoo
3rd place Yura Plishenko @plishen.co
SATURDAY BEST BLACK & GREY
1st place Simone and Alessandro Covallero @simonecovallerotatoo @alessandrocovallero_tattoo
2nd place Abiru @abiru_worxxtokyo
3rd place Angelo Statz @angelostatz
SATURDAY BEST ORNAMENTAL TATTOO
1st place Yoan Delastre @le.grand.null.part
2nd place Kat Abdy @katabdy
3rd place Arturo Terol @arturoteroltattoo
SATURDAY BEST OF DAY
1st place Yura Plishenko @plishen.co
2nd place Carolina Caos Avalle @carolinacaosavalle
3rd place Daniele Zianna @daniele.zianna.13
SUNDAY BEST BODY SUIT/BACKPIECE
1st place Evan Griffitths @griff_tattoo
2nd place Alex Zakharov @zakharovtattoo
3rd place Laura Hochmond @laurahochmondtattoo
SUNDAY BEST OF SHOW
1st place Vadym Simonenko/Nicolay Sudvindiy @tattoosaimon @9igl_tattoo
2nd place Rac One @rac1_one
3rd place Kamil Jaster @k.jaster.tattoo
