Tattoos, flames and art at Gods of Ink

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People stroll around the tattoo convention early in the day. There is a large merchandise booth in the center selling Gods of Ink shirts.

The Gods of Ink Tattoo Convention starts to fill up (Katie Wells)

The Gods of Ink Tattoo Convention, held annually in Frankfurt, Germany, is arguably the most important place to see some of the best ink globally. Artists are invite-only, and only the elite travel to showcase their work. While the convention is definitely fun and walk-ups for flash tattoos are welcomed, there is a strong focus on high-level tattoo artistry.

An artist at Gods of Ink adds to his client’s full sleeve. He is tattooing the clients elbow which he is holding up into the air while lying on his back.

An artist at Gods of Ink adds to his client’s full sleeve (Katie Wells)

Many of the artists book clients who want larger-scaled tattoos well in advance. This is to work live on their canvas in front of an audience, to showcase their fine art skills and for some, to enter a competition judged by legendary artists in the tattoo world. Categories for 2026 included: best colors, best realism, best black and grey, best ornamental, best of day, best back piece and best of show. For artists, simply being invited is a prestigious honor; earning a title in one of the categories is considered a status of respect.

An artist is very focused on tattooing a design onto his client’s leg

A person gets a leg tattoo at Gods of Ink (Katie Wells)

Check out a personal tattooing experience and interview between Stripes staff member Tamala Malerk and one of the artists, Lucy Hu, who has been tattooing for over 20 years.

The convention showcases many styles and cultures of tattooing on an international level. Ink styles include but are not limited to: Blackwork, realism, fine line, watercolor, traditional, Japanese, biomechanical and neotraditional.

This year, there was also a variety of tattooing techniques. In one section, artists used no machines. They used hand poke and tapping methods for more delicate designs. Nordic cultures still use tapping methods for Viking and Norse mythology-inspired tattoos, and one woman was tattooing a beautiful design onto the back of her client’s neck. A Polynesian tattoo artist was using the Tatau style, which is one of the oldest tattoo traditions in the world. The rhythmic precision and focus these artists displayed was a privilege to watch.

A woman leans forward with her forehead to her knees while a tattoo artist hand pokes a design onto the back of her neck

A woman gets a traditional Nordic hand poke tattoo at Gods of Ink (Katie Wells)

Skin isn’t the only medium at this convention. There are art exhibits, live performances, photography shows as well as fashion and lifestyle brands connected to tattoo culture.

A friend I attended the event with kept wandering off, and every time he popped back up to rejoin our group, he had a new print, sticker or t-shirt in his hand with a “I couldn’t help myself” grin. He even got a fantastic flash tattoo of the Grim Reaper riding a rabbit on his forearm.

Tattoo of the Grim Reaper riding a rabbit on a man’s forearm

Tattoo of the Grim Reaper riding a rabbit (Chris Childs)

And honestly, his finds truly were amazing. There was so much to choose from with over 400 artists. I admired Japanese brush style (sumi-e) on rice paper, a maroon bag with illustrative pink bats, large scrolls of bold pastel prints and even tattooed pottery pieces. After doing multiple loops, I settled on a t-shirt with a wispy, inky wolf design and a set of four delicate line drawings that depicted a bird fluttering out of a shattered chalice.

People stop to admire the artwork and designs of tattoo artists in booths all over the indoor convention

Visitors buy art and admire the work of tattoo artists at Gods of Ink (Katie Wells)

Weaving through the intricate styles of art, I felt inspired. One tattoo artist from Spain really caught my eye with her detailed black and grey engraving style. Her work felt like it was coming straight out of a storybook.

a long aisle of Tattoo artists at Gods of Ink are set up at their booths creating tattoos and selling their merchandise

Tattoo artists at Gods of Ink are set up at their booths creating tattoos and selling their merchandise (Katie Wells)

There were many gorgeous flash tattoos I would have loved to have gotten; however, I couldn’t decide where on my body to put a new tattoo. So, for those of you who plan to attend next year, think about where you might want a piece if an artist’s work catches your eye, or if you see that an artist you follow will be there, try to book an appointment with them.

Don’t miss when live performances take the stage. The Fuel Girls captivated the audience with a dance, aerial and fire show. This year’s theme was inspired by Huntrix from “KPop Demon Hunters.” Sparks flew from torches, batons and more. After the performance, I had to hunt down some water from the food and beverage area because the flames were intense. If K-pop isn’t your thing, the Fuel Girls performed a second show daily with a classic theme of rock and roll. InkCircus also brought illusion, humor and thrills to the stage, balancing delicate, very poppable and breakable things like balloons and wine glasses on a knife held only by his mouth.