INTERVIEW WITH TOMASZ BŁASZCZAK FROM HYDRAULIX TATTOO STUDIO


As Tomek returned to Poland, we had the opportunity to interview him about his plans for opening
a studio in Wrocław.

Kamil: You have recently returned to Wrocław, Poland. What made you decide to come back?

Tomash: I have always dreamt about becoming a part of the Polish tattoo scene, however after 10 years of being abroad it is a difficult decision for me to return to Poland. There were pros and cons of returning. As it turned out, there were definitely more positives and so here we are. Only time will tell but I think at this moment, it was a good decision. It’s time to start a new chapter.

K: What will make Hydraulix Tattoo stand out from the rest of Wrocław’s tattoo salons?

T: Above all, we have a strong lineup! Secondly, our studio is connected to the gallery, where at the moment we have just had our first exhibition following the private showing. And there will be more and more! I think that my plans for Wrocław will settle down and we will be well recognized, not only in the capital of Lower Silesia. We have a bar where you can always drop by after work and have a drink or coffee and talk about your day and plans and goals for the next day. We also have a table tennis where those people accompanying our clients can play while they wait for the tattoo to be finished. For us it is also provides a very important, relaxing element to our day where after work, we can enjoy creating our own ping-pong tournaments, which is a lot of fun!

K: What is the building’s backstory that you took over?

T: From what we know, it was a two-storey premises with gambling machines here. Probably, if it were not for the law on the prohibition – the premises would continue to be visited by locals who put all of their money into these unfortunate slot machines, hoping that today it will be THEIR LUCKY DAY.

K: Tom, what are your plans for 2019?

T: First, it will be to embrace all of the upcoming exhibitions. At the same time, there is a lot of work and I would like to plan a whole year in advance, so that we can have a project calendar for this.

The next issue is tattoo festivals. As every year, I promise myself that I will resign from a few trips and yet, here I am getting even more invitations. Definitely, 100% I will show up to more Polish events, because these in our home country are at a really high level. Then it would be nice to go on vacation somewhere. I never refuse this kind of pleasure ;). I enjoy diving as a hobby, so I am always looking for places where you can dive and then cross-off another location on the map. My other hobby is painting – some of these involve working on canvas. Next year, I also have plans to visit
several tattoo studios where my friends either work in or own.

K: How do you see the Polish tattoo industry changing in the next 5-10 years?
T: I try to constantly keep a watch on our native scene, how incredibly this has developed over the last few years, which only makes seeing and participating in it even more of a pleasure. I hope that it will continue to look as healthy in the future.. I sincerely hope that Polish tattoo events will enjoy increasing popularity and continue to burst at the seams with talent as before. I know, however, that one should be a realist and get ready for the fact that fashion is a cycle and can change…

K: What do you see the differences and similarities between the Polish and British tattoo scene?

T: When it comes to Ireland, where I lived, there is a colossal abyss of difference. There is no shortage of people on the Polish scene who want to develop all the time, have teasers and do not mess up. In Ireland, these are individuals. This country has a severe lack of a tattoo scene. With the boys from the studio, we often met after work in my studio and painted or practiced drawing (of course accompanied by red wine). This gave the opportunity to develop, peep at each other’s work and above all, laugh.
So it was definitely a good exercise ;). As for the customers and their
approach to the tattoo itself, there was something of a „small-town” mentality. Unfortunately, many of those customers were often closed to trying new things and would default to boring patterns and templates. Few would want to have something original. That’s why I came back to the first part of the question, the differences. And I want to develop this further;). Irish conventions are something of an embarrassment! People attending will know what I’m talking about;). Besides, a lot of this happened just from watching people who came to these events. I had the impression that 70% of them came to the market for potatoes. And at those festivals what really stands out was the overwhelming lack of interest. There is no „passion”!