Nelly Duff gallery on Columbia Road in East London is hosting Bona Drag, a three-day exhibition of the works of Dutch tattooist and painter Angelique Houtkamp until Saturday.
I popped along to the opening night, which was so jam-packed with arty types you could hardly move without being garrotted by a bag4life, the fringes horizontal and the tights “interesting”.
There were plenty of retro and rockabilly types there too, as befits Houtkamp’s nostalgic yet melancholic style, influenced by traditional tattoo flash. Her showgirls have Marcel waves and red pouts, but there is nothing prim about them, with their tattoos and arched brows. I overheard one girl sighing, “That’s what I want to look like.”
My personal favourites were the saucy mermaid girl, and the boxer girl, complete with raised fists and bruises. Houtkamp’s watercolour and pen&ink style is pretty, in candy colours, with vanitas-style
outlines of skulls and Sacred Hearts. You’re not going to find anything deep n meaningful here, but it would make your wall look a look cooler, especially if you’re too chicken to get a tattoo yourself.
Hurry down to Nelly Duff to snap up a signed print or book, or just to take a look at the crowd.
www.nellyduff.com