People
With a certain image to uphold, Tattoo artist Gualberto Sousa certainly has the look. We met him at his shop in Olhão to find out what he's really like
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little early for our appointment, we are in front of the impressive custom-made facade of the Caverinha Tattoo Shop in Olhão, this is definitely not your average local tattoo parlour. We soon notice a black Chrysler PT Cruiser pulling up, without a shadow of a doubt, we know our interviewee has arrived. Olhão born Gualberto shows us into his studio, which is nothing quite like we have ever seen before. Floor to ceiling airbrushed art adorns the walls featuring old movie classics and favourites of Frankenstein and Marilyn Monroe, a glass top coffee table displays tens of photos of his art on his clients. In the front corner murals of a hotrod, cars and bikes create an area for merchandise and a display unit of awards won for a custom made and designed chopper. We learn that this is his pride and joy, built together with his father. When we ask about the airbrush art on the wall, Gualberto surprises us by saying it is his. We quickly realise we are speaking with an artist that is multi-talented across different platforms and various mediums. Gualberto started off as an airbrush artist and often worked together with his friend graffiti artist SEN (for interview with SEN, see November 2020 issue). Due to his experience as an airbrush artist, he was able to start tattooing immediately on people without needing to go through an apprenticeship. In 2008 he made the switch and began tattooing from a friend's house. During this time he built up a small client base which meant expanding. He created a home studio from which he worked for four years. In 2013 he would open the doors of his own studio, this is where the most incredible work we have ever seen is created at the skilled hands of an amazing tattoo artist. We find out that Gualberto’s favourite style is realism, however, he can pretty much do any
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