Body art culture and 'freedom of expression' on display at Windsor's first tattoo expo

An organizer of Windsor's first tattoo expo hopes the event will help dispel the negative stigma some people have about body art.

The Inked Circus Tattoo Expo is making six stops as part of its 2024 tour, offering live tattooing by professional artists from shops across Ontario.

The expo made its inaugural stop in Windsor at the WFCU Centre from July 5 to 7.

According to expo co-organizer Domenic Amatiello, Windsor has a strong tattoo community.

"I believe we have over 35 shops, just in Windsor itself, in the tattoo industry. We're right by the border so we have artists here from the U.S. and Canada who have come over," said Amatiello.

Domenic Amatiello, co-organizer for Windsor’s first Inked Circus Tattoo Expo on July 7, 2024. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

For those who can't envision themselves getting a tattoo or may not understand why someone else would get one, Amatiello said many fail to realize that a person's first tattoo usually carries sentimental value.

"A tattoo is very personal. Most of the time, the first tattoo you get is some type of memorial. You're commemorating an event or you're remembering somebody that has passed," said Amatiello.

"Many people don't get that until they go through it."

That's why the Inked Circus Tattoo Expo has attracted many visitors who want an insight into tattoo culture without diving in too deep.

"As soon as you hang around the [people within tattoo] culture, there's some of the best people on the planet," Amatiello said.

"So don't judge a book by its cover because you never know when you could be one of us."

Tattoo culture, he added, is all about "freedom of expression."

A tattoo artist works with a client at the Inked Circus Tattoo Expo at the WFCU Centre on Jul. 7, 2024. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

"It's become very commercialized over the years but it is one of the oldest forms of expression — over 10,000 years old," said Amatiello.

"So the fact that tattooing is being criticized out in the public or some people have a stigma or an opinion about it is just very closed-minded of them."

The Inked Circus Tattoo Expo will make its next stop in London from August 16 to 18.