HOLA CHICAS

It all starts with a woman: a key subject in tattoo, and above all in Chicano. And this is what brings us to the publication of the second volume in the series The Golden Flash Collection.

A collection of plates by the Dutch tattooist Maarten Emily – a specialist in fineline Black and Grey – which are a tribute to Chicano and women as the heart of the world. Maarten's “chicas” are girls surrounded by roses, characterised by crosses and even at times iconised as Madonnas.

But the lettering is different, the outlines bolder and perhaps the women themselves are more realistic. Because Maarten's is a European take on this style, and it is in this contamination of genres – Chicano, Traditional and Realism – that the real strength and originality of the project lies.