Last Night, an Ex-Yugoslav Soldier Tattooed Me Whilst Wielding a Switchblade
He taught me some interesting lessons in privilege
He wasn’t what I expected.
I thought I was going to a trendy tattoo studio in Croatia’s capital Zagreb, a hipster-on-the-outside-but-not-really city.
The door opens and a late-40s dude tattooed up to the hilt (of course) leads me into what looks like a tattoo studio crossed with a knife museum.
As this burly Croat draws out an elegant design for an olive branch, he tells me his preferred method for cutting out tattoo designs is a Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife, last used by the British army in World War II. I think he’s joking until he takes the knife out to show me. Then he proceeds to prepare the tattoo gun with a switchblade from behind the counter.
This is going to be an interesting session.
“I went from putting holes in people to putting holes in people. At least now they enjoy the results”
My artist tells me more about his life as he tattoos the most beautiful design on my arm.
He was brought up in Yugoslavia, which if anyone with an inkling of 80s and 90s European history will know…
