Paris once again becomes the beating heart of international tattooing. The 2026 edition of Mondial du Tatouage, as always conceived and orchestrated by Tin-Tin’s impeccably run organizational machine, filled the monumental spaces of the Grande Halle de La Villette with three intense days, brought to life by tattoo contests and evening concerts on the venue’s iconic, imposing main stage.
Long regarded as an unmissable international appointment for the so-called “Tenth Art,” the Mondial once again proves itself to be an absolute point of reference for contemporary tattooing. From January 30 to February 1, more than 550 tattoo artists from all over the world gathered in Paris to offer an extraordinary panorama of styles, techniques, and influences: from Tahiti to Los Angeles, via Tokyo and Rio, in a true journey through an art form without borders.
Great space was given to French tattooing, with stylish booths and graphic tattoos in refined neo-traditional, alongside the great – truly great – names of the scene and many new faces to discover, with an extremely varied stylistic cross-section: from traditional to irezumi, from color realism to blackwork, to the super popular Neo-Traditional up to the most experimental and graphic research. Walking through the booths meant moving through countless different interpretations of tattooing.
Many crews of people walking around the convention tattooed by a single artist, while at the booths numerous multi-hand collaborations were organized as true performances on courageous tattoo fans, and many artists were also open to walk-ins. This last aspect is very close to our hearts at Tattoo Life, because strongly we believe in the value of a convention as a space for real exchange and interaction between tattoo artists and the public, who should never be seen as mere spectators.
Since 1999, under the drive of Tin-Tin—an emblematic figure of French and European tattooing—the event has become a true institution, one of the world’s leading tattoo conventions, capable of attracting thousands of visitors each year along with the fine fleur of the profession.
The Grande Halle, with its industrial structure and airy spaces, allowed for a well-organized path through rows of booths distributed between the main floor and balconies, the front stage area dedicated to contests, the merchandise zone, exhibition spaces, and an eclectic food offering. A total experience that went beyond tattooing, involving music, visual culture, and lifestyle.
The contests, central moments of the weekend, reached their peak on Sunday with the spectacular categories dedicated to Best of Bodysuits and the highly anticipated Best of Show, always charged with tension and emotion.
And as tradition dictates, the evenings transformed into real live concerts. On Friday, TEN56, led by Aaron Matts, brought a fierce industrial sound to the stage; TSS (formerly The Sunday Sadness) mixed emo, metalcore, alt rock, and synthwave with a gothic and experimental attitude. Saturday was instead the turn of the legendary Napalm Death, grindcore pioneers, protagonists of an explosive show of distortions and extreme speed, joined by Whiplash, The Varukers, and Dopelord, in an atmosphere closer to a festival than a simple convention.
Tin-Tin thus continues to carry forward a clear vision: to create an inclusive, international, and cultural space, where tattooing is celebrated as a true global artistic language. And the numbers-16,000 visitors over three days—, together with the quality of work seen in this edition, prove how well this formula still works.
The Mondial du Tatouage 2026 closes with the same feeling that accompanies everyone who walks through those doors each year: the awareness of having witnessed not just a convention, but an event that embraces both the territory and the world of tattooing.
Small Tattoos
1 Xristos Adamis
2 Horininja
3 Ahrip
Medium Tattoos
1 Joel Alba
2 Stefano Galati
3 Jimmy Dalessio
Best of Day Friday
1 Bintou
2 Fede Gas
3 Vasilij Torgashev
Best of Large Tattoos
1 Derek Yip
2 Joao Morais
3 Sanpedro Sanchez
Best Frontpiece/Backpiece
1 Konjo
2 Moriel Seror
3 Henriette Wilkendorf
Best of Day Saturday
1 S. Pion
2 Ines Bodrilla
3 Carolina Caos Avalle
Best Bodysuit
1 Horiharu
2 Jose Martinez
3 Alex Zakharov
Best of Show
1 Oleg Tregubov
2 Jean Mognon, Fernando Tampa, Cris Nieiro
3 Michelle Vestergard
