Carioca wins the biggest tattoo award in the United States

Bruno Freitas, 43, from Rio de Janeiro, is the winner of the biggest tattoo award in the United States, All-Star Tattoo ConventionIt is also considered one of the largest companies in the world. “There were more than 900 tattoo artists from 46 countries. “I won,” the Brazilian celebrated. The event was held in Miami, Florida, on the first day, and Bruno Freitas won the trophy in the traditional Eastern category, with a samurai tattoo. He had won the previous conference but on State level.

“We had to dismantle the store to put up the stand there, and on Monday (2) I was so tired that I closed the store at 5 p.m. I couldn’t even bear to talk. It’s really tiring.” He painted it on the spot at the test site, but he had been working on this piece for six months, specifically for the conference. There were several sections a week about the body of store manager Andre Santana. It took about 120 hours to create the winning tattoo that covers the back, buttocks and half of the thighs up. It was record time because a drawing like this usually takes more than a year. “What caught a lot of attention was the reality of the tattoo [o samurai] You have tattoos too.

Freitas style is yakuza, also called irezumi. It covers the entire body and includes different meanings and symbolisms hidden in each element.

Longing

Bruno Freitas has never returned to Brazil, although he misses it, not only because he does not have time, but also out of fear due to the insecurity in the country. His mother and daughter usually visit him.

Freitas has lived in the United States for eight and a half years, traveling there in 2015 at the age of 35. “But it wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “I slept on the floor, and I felt hungry. Nowadays, my English is average. Here, if you stop working, you won’t survive. It doesn’t achieve anything.” For several days, he survived by feeding on a so-called upgrade Four by Four, which consists of four meals for $4 FragmentsA soft drink and french fries. I shared this meal all day.

Because he considered public transportation in Florida to be very poor, he walked, skateboard Or by bike. “I started from scratch.” When he had a fall, instead of going to the hospital, he glued the pieces together using super glue. “I didn’t have the money to pay for the hospital.” But within nine months, he opened a studio tattoo. He added: “Things are going very positively now.”

Freitas also complained about the heat, which he considers unbearable in Florida, which is ten times worse than in Rio de Janeiro. “The thermal sensation here is ridiculously greater, there is no wind.” He even considered moving to Colorado or North Carolina, but figured he would have to start over for a third time. “I’ve already put down roots here; I have my own customers.”

It was difficult to give up my 13-14 years of tattooing in Rio and try my luck in the United States. “My work is very accepted here and I don’t need advertising. The Americans like it. I was flattered by the celebrities who came here to praise me and my work. Bruno Freitas even received invitations to go to Europe, Thailand and Japan, and today he has his own brand, Black kimono tattoo, one of the most popular tattoo studios in Florida. The wait to get a tattoo with Bruno can be up to six months.

Origin

Tattooing is one of the oldest forms of art known to mankind. For more than 5,000 years, cultures on every continent have placed permanent ink on their bodies, as mystical defenses and symbols. conditionOr a rite of passage or simply a personal decoration. Technically, it consists of a subcutaneous application obtained by introducing dyes through needles.

With information from Agência Brasil

October 4, 2023 at 08:25