Sean Colgrave ditched the corporate grind for tattooing—but he didn’t stop there. Now, he’s on a mission to get tattoos into galleries, mixing tattoo culture with fine art.

From royal bestie tattoos to coal miner cover-ups, Nottingham artist Sean Colgrave's exhibitions are rewriting tattoo history. We recently caught up with Sean to find out how his latest exhibition at Mansfield Museum came about, and what’s coming next.

What made you swap the suit and tie for a tattoo machine?

To be honest, I came to tattooing quite late. I was 30 when I got my apprenticeship. I’d climbed the corporate ladder for years, absolutely hated it, and had a breakdown. I then happened to go to my regular tattoo artist who I’d gone to school with. His name is Dan Phillips (danphillipstattoo), he works in Tamworth. We were chatting and I was like, “Ah man, I wish I’d been a tattoo artist when I was 18. I wish I could do it.” And he was like, “Dude, we did art together, I know you can draw. Just go for it.” 

I was living in Nottingham at the time (I still am), so I couldn’t apprentice with him. But he helped me put together a portfolio. In 2018/19 I got my apprenticeship and did that for a couple of years. Then Covid hit. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. I had just finished my apprenticeship and was trying to make my own way. And then all of a sudden it was like, “You can’t tattoo for 18 months”. It was horrible. When we reopened I tattooed for a couple of years, trying to get new clients, but I found it really difficult to bounce back. Last year I stopped for a bit. I still wanted to do something tattoo-related because I love the community, I love the industry, but I wasn’t getting clients. I needed to do something different.

I went back to university and did an Art History Masters called The Creative Practice with The Make Happen Institute (makehappeninstitute). I’d describe it as a business degree for creatives. There’s a bit online and some in Sweden – I get to go to Sweden a couple of times a year! From there, I settled on art exhibitions. 

Can you tell us about the current exhibition?

I worked with Mansfield Museum, which is close to me. And up in Liverpool there’s a small tattoo museum (liverpool_tattoo_museum); it’s tacked onto the owner’s studio and contains things he’s been collecting for years. It’s got loads of fantastic stuff. We had the chance, using all the contemporary arts I’d worked with and the artifacts he’s collected, to pull something together about the social history of tattooing.

With Mansfield being a pit town I really focused on the working class element. There’s a lot of tattoos among coal miners that weren’t being shown in photographic evidence. Miners were getting tattoos to cover tuberculosis wounds so they could still work [TB bacteria can cause sores, ulcers and other skin problems]. If they had too many TB scars the foreman would fire them and avoid paying reprimands to their families if they died.

What’s the weirdest or most fascinating thing you’ve uncovered?

I’ve found a load of interesting things through my research! For example, we know George V, the former King, and Nicolas II, the emperor of Russia, were best friends. George V got a tattoo – we’ve got photos of the diary page and it very much points out that he and Nicolas II got matching tattoos. A giant dragon down the forearm. So in 1902 they were getting best friend tattoos! I think that’s hilarious.

There’s some preserved human skin from about 1860 – the second Opium War. That’s the one people always go “that’s a bit gruesome”. It’s a small bit in a jar of oil. And tattoo machines from all over the world. There’s Tebori needles from Japan, an 18th Century whale bone needle with its carbon black stains, and a Polynesian chisel from about 1840. A lot of really cool stuff. One of my favourites is a clockwork machine from 1852. It looks like a silver pen with a giant pocket watch on it. You wind it up which makes the needle go. I’d love to be able to tattoo with it. There’s a lot of contemporary art as well. All American traditional artists.

The exhibition features preserved human skin in a jar from about 1860.

You ever think galleries wouldn’t want to feature tattoo art?

You know what, yeah I did. I had no real reason to think this, but I was convinced galleries didn’t want tattoo art. I thought they’re the problem. The capital "A" Art world, that’s the problem. And tattoo artists are amazing. But as I started working with them, the galleries were like, "Yes, this is art. Let’s try and do something!"

What’s the scariest thing about being an artist?

The scariest thing about being an artist, for a long time for me, was just putting it out there. You’ve spent hours and hours and think people will say, "Yeah, that’s rubbish." But now I find that part really easy. One of the scariest things for now is getting a "yes" from a gallery. I’m like, "Ah, now I actually have to do something!"

What’s the best way for people to support you?

I’m going through the Arts Council at the moment to expand the exhibition nationally and internationally. It would be great if the Arts Council took endorsements from the public, saying, “Yes, we want this,” but unfortunately they don’t!

But you know, just keep going to get tattooed if you want to. If you have a good artist, sing about that artist. Same if you have a bad artist - not to put them on blast, but in the industry one bad apple can ruin the bunch. I’d just encourage people to keep pushing the community and helping it thrive.

Last weekend I went back to speak to Dan and asked, “Can I do another apprenticeship with you?” So for three or four days a week I’m working with him as a refresher. So, that’s where I’m at. I’ll put something up when I’m fully tattooing again, and would love all of you to come get tattooed. That would be fantastic! Watch this space.

The exhibition, Miners, Misconceptions and His Majesty is free and runs at Mansfield Museum until Saturday 29 March. Give Sean a follow @seancolgrave