Although dadaism emerged after World War 1, tattoo lovers all around the world are still crazy about this anti-art movement. Tattoo artists are inspired to create masterpieces that usually depict a rebellion against society as it is today. Dadaism is mocking everything that we consider valuable in this world, and it has immensely influenced other genres, such as punk rock and surrealism. Next time you see someone with a bizarre tattoo, you will remember what you have learned about dadaism, a cultural phenomenon that stands for imagination, dreaming, and originality. The highest goal of this movement is to free your creative spirit and encourage you to live an authentic life, fulfilling your deepest desires. Consequently, dadaism in the art of tattooing will then look like a representation of colorful freedom, a release from the boundaries of our physical world. People wearing these tattoos are usually not worried about the rules, and live their lives according to their own convictions, expressing their feelings through body art. Artists love crafting dada tattoos as it lets them unleash their imagination and become innovative. Tattoo pictures look as if they are from another world, which is exactly what the followers of dadaism are standing for – a world beyond ours, where there is no limit to what we can be.
Dadaists were people who strive for uniqueness by rejecting all the conventions. They aimed to shock the audience by breaking the rules and showcasing their avant-garde ideas through colors and collage. They were playing around with the aesthetics that came from expressionism and futurism, making their design exciting, but also disturbing at times. When you take a look at the tattoos, you will notice that dada patterns will almost always be colorful, carrying the meaning of a protest. The first name to pop in mind when mentioning dadaism is Salvador Dali, who was famous for his eccentric paintings and subconscious imagery. The dada body drawings are as provocative as Dali’s most famous work, The Persistence of Memory. The melting clock, just like the rest of his showpieces, completely discredits the reality and expresses the subconscious. Tattoo artists, or the clients, create meaningful symbols that only they can understand and explain to the rest of the world. Expressing themselves through the bodywork is their way to oppose art as it is and everything that it stands for. They don’t want to appeal to anybody’s senses, but rather let their spirit roam freely, depicting their hallucinogenic state of mind. Dali’s picture will never be fully explained, and the is the beauty of the entire movement.
Dadaism in tattoos is an amazing platform for all the followers of surrealism, who find psychoanalysis as the main source of inspiration. When it comes to design, the artists use collage to reinvent new shapes and find an original way to connect them into unique objects. They enjoy creating something that the world has never seen before, by using an endless stream of imagination to express displeasure with the standard art. A great example is an original painting of Mona Lisa, who was turned into a low-cost postcard that served as an inspiration to many tattoo lovers. Mona Lisa was painted with a mustache and goatee, with a title under the picture stating “she has a hot ass”, as a classic example of how Dada artists took pleasure in offending the conventional audience.
Another typical technique that they often used is a photo-montage. Recreating photos from colorful magazines or black and white newspapers was one of the many ways they used to voice out their opinion. Also, artists would go for a three-dimensional college with a clear idea in their minds to create something that has nothing to do with the art as people know it. Tattoo masters recreate the masterpieces of the dadaism movement, sometimes adding their stamp. The drawings are infused by ideas of decay and destruction, followed by vivid colors, conveying the Dadaists’ values. Dadaistic attitude stands out in abstract looking tattoos, which can seem so absurd and revolutionary at the same time. The nonsensical art of dada draws everyone’s attention by keeping the observers engaged in an impossible attempt to solve the riddle and discover the meaning behind it.