Henk Schiffmacher
Encyclopedia
Hendrikus Johannes Everhardus Schiffmacher (born March 22, 1952 in Harderwijk
, Gelderland
) is a Dutch
tattoo artist
who is also considered an expert within the field of body decoration, having curated exhibitions
, written books and presented television shows on the subject. He is also known as 'Hanky Panky'.
Schiffmacher has claimed members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
and Pearl Jam
, as well as Kurt Cobain
, to be amongst his clients. Anthony Kiedis describes Schiffmacher as "an underground philosopher, artist, Hell's Angels associate, booze hound, drug hound, girl hound, an absolute rapscallion of Dutch proportions."
Schiffmacher displayed a talent and love for drawing at an early age and in the early 1970s studied at the Reclame School REX on the Frederiksplein in Amsterdam
. Following stints in various jobs, including employment by the Nieuwe Revu
as a news
photographer, Schiffmacher decided to travel. During his travels Schiffmacher became fascinated by the subject of tattooing, investigating the history of the subject, and upon his return to Amsterdam this fascination led to the artist opening a tattoo parlour.
Schiffmacher also began to organise tattoo conventions
and later wrote on the subject, with Tattoos published in 2001 and 1000 Tattoos published in 2005. During this period Schiffmacher also presented a documentary on the subject, later released on dvd
in the Netherlands
as World of Tattooing in 2004. On the 17 September 2004 an exhibition, Wear Your Dreams, curated by Schiffmacher, opened at the Aboriginal Art Museum in Utrecht
. Schiffmacher explained the title as a literal reading of the art of the tattoo and what it means in aboriginal
culture: "These people have nothing. Everything they hold, they carry within. They only cover themselves for important events and rituals by using body decorations, thus revealing thoughts and ideas". The director of the museum noted Henk was well placed to curate the exhibition: "Henk is the one for an exhibition about body decorations. His approach has a strong affinity with Aboriginal culture and art." Recently, Schiffmacher has turned to painting, and in 2004 an exhibition of his paintings was held in Antwerp.
In 1999, Schiffmacher took part in the celebrity version of the Dutch Big Brother
, Big Brother VIPS.
In June 2006, Schiffmacher sued the Amsterdam clothing company, 10Feet
, alleging they had used his images upon their t-shirts without permission. The court ruled for Schiffmacher on all counts and ordered 10Feet to cease printing the t-shirts, fining the company 500 euro
per summary infringement
to a maximum of 25,000 euro.
In September 2007, the Schiffmachers starred in a TV show on Dutch channel AT5 about their lives and on 29 September 2007 the opening for the second Hanky Panky tattoo shop in Amsterdam for his daughter Morrison took place.
Harderwijk
' is a municipality and a small city in the eastern Netherlands.- The history of Harderwijk :Harderwijk received city rights from Count Otto II of Guelders in 1231. A defensive wall surrounding the city was completed by the end of that century. The oldest part of the city is near where the...
, Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
) is a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
tattoo artist
Tattoo artist
A tattoo artist is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a tattoo shop, tattoo studio or tattoo parlour...
who is also considered an expert within the field of body decoration, having curated exhibitions
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
, written books and presented television shows on the subject. He is also known as 'Hanky Panky'.
Schiffmacher has claimed members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, as well as Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, to be amongst his clients. Anthony Kiedis describes Schiffmacher as "an underground philosopher, artist, Hell's Angels associate, booze hound, drug hound, girl hound, an absolute rapscallion of Dutch proportions."
Schiffmacher displayed a talent and love for drawing at an early age and in the early 1970s studied at the Reclame School REX on the Frederiksplein in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. Following stints in various jobs, including employment by the Nieuwe Revu
Nieuwe Revu
The Nieuwe Revu is a weekly general interest magazine from The Netherlands, coming out on Wednesday and is written in Dutch.The magazine was an explicitly left winged in the seventies with a big focus on sex, sensation and socialism.-Editorial board:...
as a news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
photographer, Schiffmacher decided to travel. During his travels Schiffmacher became fascinated by the subject of tattooing, investigating the history of the subject, and upon his return to Amsterdam this fascination led to the artist opening a tattoo parlour.
Schiffmacher also began to organise tattoo conventions
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
and later wrote on the subject, with Tattoos published in 2001 and 1000 Tattoos published in 2005. During this period Schiffmacher also presented a documentary on the subject, later released on dvd
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
as World of Tattooing in 2004. On the 17 September 2004 an exhibition, Wear Your Dreams, curated by Schiffmacher, opened at the Aboriginal Art Museum in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
. Schiffmacher explained the title as a literal reading of the art of the tattoo and what it means in aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
culture: "These people have nothing. Everything they hold, they carry within. They only cover themselves for important events and rituals by using body decorations, thus revealing thoughts and ideas". The director of the museum noted Henk was well placed to curate the exhibition: "Henk is the one for an exhibition about body decorations. His approach has a strong affinity with Aboriginal culture and art." Recently, Schiffmacher has turned to painting, and in 2004 an exhibition of his paintings was held in Antwerp.
In 1999, Schiffmacher took part in the celebrity version of the Dutch Big Brother
Big Brother (Netherlands)
The Dutch Big Brother is the original version of the TV reality shows. It created the format in which contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of a prize at the end...
, Big Brother VIPS.
In June 2006, Schiffmacher sued the Amsterdam clothing company, 10Feet
10 feet
10Feet is a Dutch fashion label, based in Amsterdam and is a subsidiary of Herb Industries. The label was founded in the late 1990s, and has since grown to the point where its clothes are now offered in over 250 retail outlets in the Netherlands....
, alleging they had used his images upon their t-shirts without permission. The court ruled for Schiffmacher on all counts and ordered 10Feet to cease printing the t-shirts, fining the company 500 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
per summary infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
to a maximum of 25,000 euro.
In September 2007, the Schiffmachers starred in a TV show on Dutch channel AT5 about their lives and on 29 September 2007 the opening for the second Hanky Panky tattoo shop in Amsterdam for his daughter Morrison took place.