Art is in the eye of the beholder, at least that’s what Margaret Wolfe Hungerford believed in 1876, but it’s unquestionably subjective. And art takes many different forms and can be displayed in many different ways, including on your body. If you’re so inclined.
Black Hand Co, located at 2107 Main Street, is unquestionably the nicest tattoo parlour this reporter has ever seen and is a very far cry from the outdated, clichéd image of seedy, smoke-filled backstreet outlets found in intimidating alleyways. This one features a calming rainforest decor complete with fully functional grand piano, a portrait of Vincent van Gogh and replica marble busts of the ancient Olympian deity Apollo. In fact, walking past the shop frontage, it’s safe to say that you’d have no idea what this place actually was.
Gers Rescrepo Echeverry (38) and Stephanie Serna (27) both hail from Medellín in Columbia and this represents a long-held dream to take their passion and make it a reality. Both come from an arts-based background and decided that Santa Monica had the right vibe for them after first spending some time in Miami.
“It's pretty different [in Miami], Serna said, “The lifestyle over there is not like our lifestyle.”
They were set to open a store at a different location, at 175 Pier Avenue, but the building was sold before they could complete their project.
“When we first Googled this place and even walked past it, we weren’t too sure, but then when we saw the inside and how much space there was, we knew we wanted it,” Serna said, adding that most of the renovation work, including laying the floor, painting and even actually building some of the bathroom fixtures, they did themselves.
And the space is big, but the Black Hand Co team has big plans. There are currently four work stations together with a spacious changing room, plus computers and printers so that designs can be fully finalized before the process of permanent body painting begins. There are even tentative plans to include a body piercing element and possibly even tattoo removal, but as Echeverry says, that would more than likely be in a different location. Both are also hoping to build relations with other artists in Santa Monica and to use the generous wall space to promote and sell works by other artists.
He moved to the US during the pandemic and had to find work, consequently he ended up working in construction and by sheer good fortune, learned along the way how to do things like laying a floor, painting and welding. “You dream something and [if] you have discipline and you have attitude, then you can make it work. I come during Covid and I had to work two years in construction, something I’ve never done before, but because of that, I build all of this [sic].”
Tattoos are disconnected from fashion and according to Echeverry, trends change. That whole period about 10 years ago of Williamsburg-influenced gentrification when everyone wanted to sport circus strongmen–style moustaches and wear tweed, significantly affected the style and design of tattoos that many were going for.
“I think right now it’s more about fine lines that people want, almost like dainty, and more realism and [what’s called] traditional Japanese art … Before that it was more traditional American, with bigger, thicker lines, full color blocks and single colors,” Echeverry said, adding, “When I first started, there were only three or four different styles, but now [for example] there’s traditional, neo-traditional, Japanese, neo-traditional Japanese, traditional Japanese and so many more.”
A website hasn’t been set up yet as the business has only been open for a couple of weeks. However, both Serna and Echeverry say that the best idea is to pop in and have a chat about what it is that you’re after.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
