Protest and Revolution Tattoos Only
According to Iran Gate, the protest and revolution tattoos were the work of Reza Dalak. He used to say, ‘I should tattoo your mother’s name on your hand so she is always in front of your eyes.’ He would draw ‘mother’ in lapis lazuli blue and in Nasta’liq script, extending the tattoo past the forearm, and on the chests of heroes, he would tattoo a lion without a mane and tail.
That same lion with a mane and tail found its place on the arm of Majidreza Rahnavard, a protester executed in Mashhad. Now Majidreza is gone, but Saeed is here, asking Hamid, the tattoo artist, to tattoo the same lion on his arm.
Hamid is a tattoo artist who now, instead of Reza Dalak, uses numbered needles and advanced machines to tattoo people’s thoughts onto their bodies.
Since the Mahsa Revolution began, Hamid has been hosting those who sparked the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ revolution with his art. Either we choose the design ourselves, or the clients have already chosen their designs. Most people who want revolutionary designs bring their own.
He has set up shop in the basement of his father’s old house in Darband, with two beds and a chair. The word ‘Iran’ is stuck to one wall in various fonts. I’ve done many designs, but women mostly choose ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ in different fonts and designs.
Hamid says the average age of those choosing revolutionary designs is between 18 and 25 years. Men mostly tattoo the name ‘Iran’ on their bodies, and they have chosen the designs beforehand.
Perhaps Mr. Ötzi, 5300 years ago, when he wanted to tattoo 61 designs on his body, was also protesting something. Mr. Ötzi’s body, a 5300-year-old mummy, was found in the icy Alps. This patient mummy holds the oldest tattoo in the world.
Iranian protesters, like Mr. Ötzi, have embraced patience. ‘Patience’ is a word that Iranian protesters are very fond of. Arman is 42 years old and has been tattooing for 15 years.
He has a shop on one of Tehran’s streets and sells tattoo equipment and colors. I have many clients who tattoo the word ‘patience’ on their arms or hands. They believe that to create change in the country, one must be patient.
Arman does his tattoos in an apartment he rents in the north of the city. Some words have positive energy, like ‘faith’ and ‘power.’ I recommend these two words to those who want revolutionary designs because for a revolution, one must have faith in God and power.
Arman says some men tattoo the slogan ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ on their arms because it’s considered a feminine design. The type of design determines where it should be placed; for example, if ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ is circular, it’s better suited for the shoulder or knee.
Since tattooing is expensive, most people who get them are from the middle to upper class. Hamid says the price of designs depends on their size, starting from one million Tomans and up. Shiva, a 28-year-old young woman, has been in the tattoo business for three years, and according to her, her business has flourished.
Shiva works over the phone and doesn’t have a fixed workplace. I can’t rent a place because if someone rats me out, I’ll be fined. Tattooing is illegal in Iran, especially if the tattoo artist is designing revolutionary tattoos.
Shiva says the design of a girl letting her hair flow in the wind is very popular among girls. Some also want the design of cutting hair. These designs are very intricate and expensive. Shiva is afraid of cyber attacks; once, a customer wanted the lion design of Majidreza Rahnavard, but because the request came from a suspicious page, I refused to do it.
These days, many people message us with fake pages to trap us. Arman says some designs are inspirational; once, a customer asked me to tattoo a design of a woman whose hair was flowing and her skirt was turning into a bird in the wind. The bird is a symbol of freedom.
Arman believes if there weren’t economic problems, he would have more customers during the New Year. ‘Don’t tell mom’ was one of the designs Hamid did for several people.
Hamid says when a customer first asked me to tattoo this design on his hand, I cried. Although we are still far from freedom, Shiva and Arman have tattooed the word ‘freedom’ on their clients’ bodies many times.