Editorial

2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT

Visiting the founder of London’s Twin Pala tattoo studio to celebrate the launch of adidas' NMD S1, we focus on 2Can’s practice and craft, which sees the artist combine a keen eye for found objects with a methodical process that honours the age-old craft of hand poked tattooing.

An age-old practice, tattooing has become part and parcel of the modern world – an ancient artform that has traversed its complicated history to cultivate a distinctive and multiplicitous approach to permanent body art, tying its maker to its owner through a refined and deeply practiced craft. Dating back to Neolithic times, tattooing’s origins have been consistently othered and positioned as “tribal” markings – a misnomer that actively erases the importance of tattooing as a form of indigenous art, a symbol of rich cultures that continuously face erasure within the modern-day milieu.

2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT for adidas NMD S1
2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT for adidas NMD S1
2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT for adidas NMD S1

Working within the craft of hand poked tattoos, 2Can is a tattoo artist from the North East of England, based in his private studio Twin Pala in Clapton, London. Centred around biophilic design and an eco-conscious approach to craft, the artist has built a repertoire of tattoo art that pays homage to the form of body modification’s deeply entrenched history and culture. Delivering quality and a refined approach to hand poked tattooing, 2Can’s work draws inspiration from a variety of sources, combining an esoteric vision with abstracted forms, transforming shapes from the memory of found objects, ceramics, and artefacts seen in passing to build a unique visual identity that respects the history of the art form without forgetting its origins.

2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT for adidas NMD S1
2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT for adidas NMD S1
2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT for adidas NMD S1

Forging a connection through craft, 2Can’s process offers reflection, pause, silence or conversation, a form of expression and communication – what was once a language of different collective identities, can now represent a reflection of individual identity. A celebration of the beauty that can be found everyday in the objects we see, or the movements of the natural world, 2Can's craft serves as a totem to connectedness in a world that is so routinely separated.

2CAN’S CULTURE OF CRAFT for adidas NMD S1

Release information

adidas NMD S1

Core Black

GW5652

08/12/2022

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