Royal Blue Tattoo’s Jake and Kaarina Straat said they were overwhelmed by the love shown at Cairns’ first major tattoo expo. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.
Far North Queensland’s inaugural tattoo expo has left the community begging for more after a “mind-blowing response” to the event on 6-7 June.
Well-known Cairns artist Jake Straat and his wife Kaarina unveiled the Rainforest & Reef Invitational Tattoo Expo — a two-day celebration of the culture, creativity and camaraderie of the tattoo industry — bringing together 50 of Australia’s top tattooists at the Cairns Showgrounds.
With about 700 people through the door on day one, and Sunday even busier, Mr Straat said he felt humbled and stoked by the response to a tattoo expo beyond the big smoke.
“It’s the first time this has occurred in Cairns, so we actually weren’t expecting anything,” he said.
“I would’ve been happy if 10 people showed up, but we’ve had an absolutely mind-blowing response.
“We’re really excited, and it’s cool to offer the people of Cairns some options with their tattoo journeys.”
Hundreds of people keen to add some ink to their skin lined up to get tattooed by artists from across the country, who were all handpicked by the Royal Blue Tattoo owner.
“I just spent the last five years travelling the whole of Australia, working from what I thought were the best tattoo shops in the country, to get information on how to run my own tattoo shop and make connections,” he said.
“On my travels, I met so many amazing people, so many strange and interesting folks, and went about bringing them here to give the local people some special tattoos.
“I handpicked every single tattooer myself; I was very selective with who I invited, and it’s a beautiful thing.”
Long-time tattoo enthusiast Lyndon Keane, who travelled down for the expo from Aurukun, added to his collection with a piece from Woy Woy artist Hamish Robson.
“As a collector, it was tremendous to have access to such a diverse range of visiting artists without having to travel to a city expo,” he said.
“I love Hamish’s take on traditional designs, and I would have normally had to travel from the Cape to the central New South Wales coast to have a sitting with him.
“The vibe over the weekend was incredible, and everyone was already saying they can’t wait to see the event return in 2027.”
Regular Royal Blue Tattoo customer Ash Lowfield filled a spot with a piece by Pete Pav of Forest Creek Tattoo in Castlemaine, Victoria.
“We haven’t really had anything like this before,” the Cairns local said.
“I’ve been to a tattoo expo in Sydney, but you usually have to go to the city for something like this, so it’s cool that we can have it locally.
“There a lot of stuff that you wouldn’t really be able to get in Cairns. It’s awesome to see some other American traditional styles, as well as some different things that we wouldn’t normally get at many of the shops up here.”
One highly popular artist was Melbourne-based tattooist Melody Crow, who brought a whimsical, feminine, neo-traditional style not widely available in Cairns.
Her unique style, featuring bold lines and bright colours, was in high demand, with her Saturday books full before the expo doors even opened on day one, and her day two schedule filled halfway through Saturday.
“I’m quite overwhelmed actually. It’s been really amazing to see everybody coming out,” she told Cape York Weekly at the event.
“I guess I’ve worked really hard over the last eight years to develop my style, and it’s really cool to bring that to a new city and get to share that with the locals.
“I’ve always wanted to travel with work, and I wanted to show my support to Jake as well, with him being so passionate about tattooing and wanting to form a community spirit around it.”
