Invisible NYC, headed by Troy Denning, is an elite tattoo studio and art gallery in a stellar lower east side location with some of the best artists in the industry. The place is slick and clean, and the gallery constantly shows the work of various contemporary, urban artists.
True to the title, the tattooing takes place behind a wall, which retains its enigmatic feel - it definitely hasn't got the walk-in feel of a tattoo ‘shop’, as the tattooing itself is more or less hidden unless you know it’s there. The concept, according to Troy, is to "have an appointment-only art gallery/tattoo studio, to bring other elements of activity and art into the fold. We still adhere to the same principal of keeping it exclusive, and keeping the standards as high as possible...we don't try and please everybody!" Despite the exclusive reputation, the artists were some of the most friendly that we encountered. Coupled with the stellar tattoo work that goes on in there, it's no wonder that it is one of the most popular establishments in NYC…
Can you tell us about your work history?
I first recall seeing a tattoo...well, they aren't actually tattoos, it was in that movie Kung Fu, where he had the dragon and the tiger branded on his forearms; I thought that was so cool. It was just so unfamiliar and alien to me that I thought it was amazing, so I would draw those on my forearm everyday with a crayon; I was probably 7 or 8 years old. My cousins and uncles had tattoos but they were all kind of gangster, prison-style tattoos, which I wasn't really attracted to at the time, because it seemed like they were going nowhere, and those tattoos represented that.
I started tattooing when me and my friends would do little hand pokes on each other when I was a young punk rocker kid, when I was 13 years old. I didn't get professionally tattooed ‘til I was in my early 20s, when I put my foot forward and I decided I wanted to pursue it as a career. I actually got to know other tattooists, and delved deeper into the craft.
I started working on my friends, and kind of like, general misfits of society at this walk-in shop that I worked at…my tattoos weren't great by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think any of those people cared, ‘cause they just wanted shit for cheap.
What was your big break?
Finally quitting my job, throwing myself into the mix and meeting other tattooists. It all happened around the same time, a lot of people of like mindset started getting into tattooing that came from a similar background that I did. I felt that I wasn't the only person that had this idea, and it was validating in a way. One morning, Guy Aitchison was eating breakfast at the restaurant that I used to eat at every day. And I was like, 'Ok this is a sign…a guy that is halfway across the country is at my local spot’, so I made small talk with him. He was with Aaron Cain, Marcus Pacheco, and Eddie Deutsche, and I was so nervous and overwhelmed by the moment. From that moment on, I was like, 'Alright, this is the direction that I have to go.'
How long did it take for you to feel comfortable in the title as a 'tattoo artist'?
Forever! Ten years ago, I would have said I'm not happy with my work until recently, and I still feel that way. I still look at the work I did a couple of years ago and I don't like the way I did this… I know that I can technically tattoo expediently, the actual technical side is something I can do, but there is always something that I want to change about the look - I'm never happy with that.
So would you say being self-critical is part of the process?
Yeah, you have to if you want to grow or actually achieve anything. You can never be too satisfied with yourself.
You came here from SF when?
In ’99.
And so you missed the prohibition era?
Yeah, I moved here specifically ‘cause that was over, and it seemed like the timing was right. I obviously wasn't the only the person who thought that, ‘cause within a couple of years, the city was completely saturated with tattooers. So now I would hold NY against any city in the world for strength of tattooers - you go to an average night in NY at some bar, and there are more good tattooers in that bar than many tattoo conventions! NY City has got it.
So you are quite involved in the local scene?
Yeah, not exclusively; I don't think it’s the only circle that I can move in, but recently in the last year or last few years, there has been a lot of interaction with the shops, there is not that much of a ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality, which I really enjoy. I don't see everybody as my competition, I will survive no matter what, and I can create clientele out of nothing. It’s not like I'm fighting for scraps at the bottom of the heap. I can make something happen so I don't worry about that, but a lot of people have that mentality that the pie is a finite size, and there are only so many slices, which is what they have been taught by the people that came before them. I think that is an antiquated way of looking at it, because it is what you make it.
Well yeah that kind of comes with success though…
I hope so; I know a lot of successful people that still adhere to these really old ways of thinking. There are points that are valid, but other areas that are self-sabotaging, they just make you miserable.
What did you get out of being at NY Adorned in terms of experiences?
I had a great time working there, the only reason I left was that five years had gone by and I felt like I had to do something new. I'm glad that I left; at the same time, I really enjoyed working with those guys and I would have loved to continue in some manner. It was just more that I had to do something. What was the next step? Opening a business was the next step.
I just went through this period where I wanted to challenge myself instead of being a technician, I wanted to try to exercise a different part of my brain instead of just drawing all day, which a lot of tattooers are happy to do, just the creative side of it. But if you learn to embrace the organisational side of it, it makes you better at everything.
What makes Invisible stand out?
The concept was to have an appointment-only art gallery and a tattoo studio, but to bring other elements of creativity and art into the fold. We still adhere to the same principal of aiming high and keeping it very exclusive. We don't try and please everybody, we aren't casting a huge net; we know who our clientele are. There are people that come into the studio and they say, “We want this, and we want this”, and I tell them, “Maybe this isn't the place for you. For one, you aren't going to want to pay the amount we charge, for something that silly.” I'm honest with people; if someone comes in and they say, “I want a couple of stars”, I think a lot of people like the idea of being tattooed, but they aren't tattoo people. If you look through our portfolios and you don't see one thing you like, maybe you should go somewhere else, ‘cause what you see in those books represents the best in what’s out there. The guys that work for me excel in every valid style of tattooing possible.
But then when you started Invisible, wasn't it hard to find artists that met your selection criteria?
I think all the people that work for me now (with the exception of Daniel, ‘cause he came later) are guys that I had tapped even before I opened the shop. I had them in the back of my mind thinking that I really liked their work, and serendipitously, they all came to me. Daniel came here in Feb 2008, he has been fantastic, a perfect addition to the crew.
What's been something that you've seen a lot of in NY lately? I heard coloured portraits are really in now?
I don't know…I can objectively look at a person’s tattoo and say, “Y’know, that guy is ok”, but I think the only portraits that are valid are dog portraits. Portraits of people…I don't really understand why someone would do it! In the mid ‘90s when Tin Tin was doing all those portraits, he brought an element of himself into it, where he made it something more than a replica of a photograph.
But I guess you wouldn't even feel trends in Your shop because most people would know what you do?
Everyone is doing big Japanese stuff mostly, ‘cause Japanese is like a final destination. A couple of the guys are doing nice Americana stuff, which I like as long as it’s not silly, y’know, the stuff that looks classy, I like. But everyone is doing bigger and bigger work, which is great.
What are some elements of good tattoo work?
That's a difficult question; I just like things that are crisp and readable. There is a lot of stuff that I see now that is kind of really timely, where they take a bunch of different images and smash them together in a one-point tattoos, like they will have a wing, a rabbit’s foot, a key, a tear drop and a spider’s web, and I think that is kind of bullshit! I think it can be pulled off in a way that technically looks really nice, and it's tattooed well, but what is it? It's nonsense! That is what personally draws me to the Japanese style tattooing, you never get tired of seeing it, it sits well on the body, it completely contrasts with our day to day life, and it has no relevance to what we do on a day to day basis, which is what I like about it. You have this different world going on under your clothing which doesn't correlate to the mundane, TV-based, consumer-based society that we live in right now.
Who are you mentors in Japanese?
Obviously Horiyoshi II, for the fact that he did it first before anyone, he qualified that style, the Horitoshi family, Horiyoshi III, I love Horitomo, Chris Garver, the guys I work with are very inspirational to me, Chris O’Donnell, Mike Rubendall, I like all the top guys! I'm more of a fan of the truly Japanese or American Japanese style, not so much a European Japanese fan, the kind of more fantasy stuff. There are elements I really like, Mike Roper, I really like his work, and it’s fantastic. Ichibe's work is fantastic, but I like the hard raw style more so.
When did you first go to Japan?
‘97.
What were your first impressions?
It’s very safe and it’s very clean! You can park your bike and not lock it! I really had a good time when I first went out there, and I'm looking forward to be able to go out there and study and work there every year. I really enjoy being in totally alien environments and developing clientele that are completely outside the safety zone.
What would you say to people wanting to learn Japanese?
Look to the best; I mean, it goes with everything, but I hear a lot of artists say, “I like looking at this local guy’s work”, and it's like, “Why? Why don't you just look at the best?” You can be inspired by someone just ‘cause he is close to you and his proximity, but as far as looking at people’s work, you should look at the best and aim that high.
Seeing you have a specific clientele, do you think the clientele that just go to someone close by is dying in NY though?
With the smart people, yes. You have to be honest, people are sheep. In the future, the people that have a large clientele, it’s going to be personality-based, it’s not going to be based on the work, ‘cause there are people who are from the countryside of China who can copy anything, even though may not even care about tattoos. It’s going to be like Mexicans who can tattoo Jimi Hendrix in 5 mins on the border at Tijuana.
Chinese tattooers can do knock-off shit at the tenth of the price. The only reason someone would get tattooed by a big name that charges a lot of money is because he wants face time with that particular person and say that person did it, it's the difference between getting a real Rolex and a fake Rolex; you can get one where an expert can't tell the difference...it's going to be the same with tattooing.
There will be people who can replicate the work, they may not have any individual style, it will look like it's supposed to, but the person wearing it will want to have an original, not a knockoff.
Any advice to clients?
Be on time! Do your homework, educate yourself and start big, don't mess around. One of the good things to come out of those TV shows is that it shows people getting more ambitious pieces as a first piece. And people being sheepish, and followers see that as validation. So, I've tattooed a lot more big pieces as their first piece after the TV shows. They are like, “I was going to get the Pearl Jam logo, and then I saw this guy get a koi half sleeve on television, so I'm going to get the koi fish!” That motivation mightn't necessarily be pure, but I would rather you get that, not the Pearl Jam logo! So, let's do it!
What's the downside of the TV shows?
It makes the clients think that they know too much about it. There is so much misinformation on those TV shows. It's like “What are you talking about?” like, "Are you going to use that three and a half square on me?" and I'm like, “I don't even know what the fuck you are talking about!”
"Y’know, the guy on TV got a back piece in one session, but it seems like the guy doing it had to keep changing his shirt?"
It gives people unrealistic expectations of what’s possible too. Granted, those people just want to be on TV, so they will let artists do whatever they want.
What are some pet peeves?
When people want to get tattooed and it’s something so insignificant, that I'm like, “Why would you even endure pain for something so stupid? Maybe tattooing isn't for you.” I don't care if people get tattooed or not. When people come in and they want something so small, it's like, “What are you doing? If you want something that small you don't want to get tattooed, go buy yourself some sneakers.”
What keeps you motivated on aday-to-day basis?
Everything. I watch a lot of movies, music, the city itself, books, I look at tattoo photos if I'm working on a project, for instance if someone wants a kirin, I'll get photos that have little elements that I like, and I’ll put them all up on an idea board, kind of make a composite based on these pieces that I like. I don't sit around geeking out on tattoo photos anymore. To me, tattooing is more than the pictures on the skin, it's the lifestyle, and the ability to utilise it to travel the world and increase your life experience exponentially.
So being a tattooer seems to have done you well!
Yeah, you can live on own terms, create your schedule, choose your friends, and basically do what you want. If you are a smart person and you are motivated, you can turn this into the life that people would kill for.
