“It wasn’t planned and then, on a whim”: meetings in the aisles of the Fest’ink Tatoo in Saintes

The Saintes Fest'ink Tatoo is being held at the Mendès-France hall until Sunday, July 27. Among the anticipated moments is a showcase by rapper Seth Gueko at 4:30 p.m.

W hen you enter the Mendès-France hall, there's no doubt about it: you're at the Fest'ink Tatoo in Saintes. The characteristic buzzing of the tattoo machines attests to this. From Saturday, July 26th, until Sunday, July 27th at 7 p.m., more than a hundred tattoo artists are participating in this ^4th edition, led by Casper and Caroline, with the help of volunteers. "Some tattoo artists come from far away," Casper says. "From Polynesia, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Germany..."

In the aisles, you'll encounter a multitude of worlds, from manga and comics to metal, punk, and rap culture, as well as flora and fauna. There's truly something for every taste and desire. Aurore, for example, is from Vendée. She stopped by Monsieur Nono's booth, from Nyon, Switzerland. His thing is pop culture. "At a festival, like that, you really showcase the work you want to do," explains the tattoo artist, dressed as Superman. The Vendée native, for her part, was obsessed with Satanas and Diabolo, the two villains in the 1960s cartoon, "Les Fous du volant."

Further on, we meet Sylvie: "It wasn't planned, and then, on a whim, I chose this design." On her right arm, the profiles of a skull and a woman kissing now sit alongside her other tattoos. Outside, there are food trucks, but also community stands like the one for the Souffre-douleurs at the 17-85 school, which fights against school bullying.

Here, all generations mingle, from 7 to 77 years old. Indeed, Michel, 77, a photography enthusiast, came from Tonnay-Charente with his wife, Santine. On the middle finger of his right hand, a lightning bolt, a nod to the flash of his camera. "It was my grandson who gave it to me last year at the Rochefort exhibition. He took the same one," confides the septuagenarian. "If I had been younger, I would have taken more."

Sunday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Mendès-France Hall, Cours Charles-de-Gaulle, in Saintes. Single admission: €10.