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 Meet Rob Admiraal. In the tattoo scene for the past 17 years, here is a guy who knows what he’s talking about. Rob is a Dutch artist and hails from Rob Admiraal Tattoo Studio, in Amsterdam (Holland), studio he shares with 4 other artists, one of whom is the very talented Angelique Houtkamp.
He has been one of the big names in the tattoo industry for quite some time now and is renowned for an incredible talent producing original Japanese art with a traditional American design twist.
A master in his own style, you can see throughout his work, Rob doesn’t consider tattoo a hobby, it's so much more. There’s a real passion driving this man.
Clearly influenced by Japanese culture and artwork, his work is flawless, strong lines close to perfection, and his use of colours, subtle and engaging bring his tattoos to life, for what is one of the most impressive portfolios out there.
His previous experience as an illustrator and portraitist can also be seen in the amount of detail he puts into his work: from the colour he uses to the facial expressions of the characters, everything is well thought out making sure it’ll perfectly fit both the body and customer’s personality.
So we, at TTV were extremely thankful and honoured when Rob and his crew got in touch with us about his new project: On Ko Chishin (which would translate to “Studying the Old to Better Understand the New”) and it is certainly the right title, to what is an incredible journey.
In the past few years, Rob has had his back worked on by one of the masters of Japanese traditional tattoos: Horitsune II. He decided to share his experience, his spiritual journey in Japan with us all, having a camera crew following him in the Streets of Osaka, Japan.
The first part of this documentary follows Rob on what’s going to be his final trip to Japan to get his back piece finally finished after 5 long years and almost 90 hours of work with Horitsune. Throughout the video, Rob shares his passion for both the art of tattooing and more specifically Japanese artwork, which he describes as being the ultimate « abstraction of reality ».
We are invited to share Rob’s experience on the other side of the tattoo machine: from tattooer to customer, we get the chance to watch Horitsune II work on what is to become one of his masterpieces.
This is the first episode in a series of 5, which we cannot wait to see to completion. In a society where tattoos have become a new fashion accessory, through his documentary, Rob has manages to remind what tattoo is all about: respect, art and tradition.
Below is some of Robs work, and you can find more by clicking HERE Credits: Words - Krystel Chevallier / Photos - Rob Admiraal   
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