Within the realm of temporal and
geographical context, human culture has held
infinite variations of meaning for the ancient
practice and art of tattooing; however, in recent
decades the art form has been normalized
through widespread social influences from
celebrities to media, taking it from subculture
to pop culture. With its rise in popularity,
artists like Serpanchy have made the leap from
drawing on paper, to scratching on skin.
INSPADES met with Serpanchy at his
current workspace in Toronto’s Golden Iron
Tattoo Studio, where he divulged the trials of
transitioning into the industry, his background
as a painter and musician, and elaborated on
his creative journey as a tattoo artist.
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IN THE BEGINNING
Briefly attending the Ontario College of Art
and Design with a focus on environmental
design and sculpture, Serpanchy left the
academic scene to tour throughout Ontario
with his “mediocre punk rock” band. Tasked
with designing the band and venue posters,
Serpanchy learned to marry graphic design
with illustration, a style he would find himself
repurposing later in life.
In 2005, Serpanchy left his life of rock and
roll to devote himself to painting, founding
Walnut Studios in Toronto’s Liberty Village
with fellow artists. “The idea was to create
an open-concept workspace for artists