Behind The Needle 3
Tattoo Video Series
January 30th 2012

“Tattooing has become a victim of its own popularity” Zele

Behind the Needle 3 – part of the exclusive tattoo series filmed with Papercut Pictures for Zeitgeist Magazine – features three more notable tattoo artists. Ninoslav Zelenovic aka Zele from Zagreb Tattoo, Jason Donahue from Idle Hand and Alex Binnie from IntoYou London/Brighton talk about the past, present and future of the tattoo world. Has it really become a victim of its own popularity in this Facebook obsessed world?

Zele used to be a military man, and this is reflected in his love of historical, ethnic and traditional styles of tattooing. His tattoos reflect his value system and past. In this film he also talks about the negative impact of the growing popularity of tattoos and how this affects those who have been in the business for a long time.

Jason Donahue has always been into art, and as soon as he got his first tattoo he realised he’d found something he really wanted to do. His influences come from the past, his strongest being American traditional and Japanese. He also talks about the explosive nature of the tattoo industry now and the fact the he is his own biggest critic, constantly seeking tattoo perfection.

Tattooing was a very ‘closed’ world when Alex Binnie started out, and not at all fashionable. He tells us about his varied style and how the industry has changed since he has been a part of it. He talks about tattooing as a beautiful contract between the tattooer and the person being tattooed that avoids the constraints of the gallery system.

Check out the video below for the full interviews, and don't forget to take a look at Behind The Needle 1 which features interviews with Chad Koeplinger, Michelle Myles, Uncle Allan and Claudia De Sabe by clicking here, Behind The Needle 2 with interviews from Ryan Mason, Jo Harrison, Steve Vinall and Brian Thomas Wilson by clicking here, and our first video which gives an overview of London Tattoo Convention by clicking here.