Artists Cherie Basak and Omar Gutierrez opened Revolution Studios this June because they were tired of working for other people. Gutierrez, who’s also been a tattooist for about eight years, and Basak, an art store manager, envisioned the west Bucktown storefront as a combination gallery and tattoo shop.
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But so far, though they’ve mounted shows of abstract painting, “intentional kitsch,” light sculpture, and prints, the tattoo studio has yet to become a reality: the couple’s petition for a special-use permit was denied in September. Special-use permits, required under city zoning ordinances for such diverse commercial uses as payday loan store and fortune-teller as well as tattoo parlor, are issued by a board of five citizens who are supposed to evaluate the business based on its probable effect on neighborhood safety and property values. The process can be grueling; in the last five years, only three permits have been granted for new tattoo studios.
For their latest gallery show the pair contacted local tattoo shops and invited artists to submit paintings, sculptures, and installations. They got an overwhelming response, resulting in an eclectic collection of art by 18 contributors. While several paintings resemble what Gutierrez and Basak refer to as “traditional Americana-style tattoo” work–lots of color, dark shading, simple images–there are also abstracts, portraits, and drawings. Some come from fine artists who started tattooing after establishing careers in other media: Chucho, a well-known Chicago muralist, has four pieces in the show; illustrator Bill Kieffer, who has been tattooing for about a year, has several paintings and drawings.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Rob Warner.
