For a long time, Vincent Cabral used the skin as a support to express his creativity. A tattoo artist trained on the job, his drawings have multiplied on the shoulders, forearms or legs of the customers of his salon in the old town. An activity that has had some success, since customers came from all over Switzerland. Then one day, during an exhibition, the medium changed. It’s on metal, see on the blade that the former tattoo artist set his sights.
“I call it sharp paint,” says Vincent Cabral. In fact, he now tattooes metal. And painted on axes, butcher leaves, scythes, or even circular saw blades. “I also draw on bowling pins, motorcycle helmets or skateboards. But my favorite field is metal tools. I sometimes change media, but not much, ”he explains.
Thus, for three years, Vincent Cabral has ennobled old tools through painting. But where did this crazy idea come from? “It happened by the greatest chance. I bought at the flea market a butcher leaf, a kind of chopper, whose design I like. I exposed it at home. One day, I was asked to participate in an exhibition. I was about to paint a canvas when looking at my butcher’s sheet, it tilted. I painted both sides, the first with a skull and the second with text: Aloha from the crypt. It was very appreciated during the exhibition, it was new, innovative. So I decided to continue on this path. “
With more than a hundred pieces to his credit, the artist has already sold between 60 and 70, a success that pleases him and amuses him: “I like that people decorate their interior with my objects, but they can also go hunting for zombies with… ”
At 46, Vincent Cabral was not born from the last rain. Before practicing tattooing, he was in charge of Moloko, the bar on the first floor of the Factory, for many years. He also worked for Kab and PTR and was stage manager for the theater of the Factory. Following this, he opened his first tattoo parlor sharing his space with a vintage clothing store in the old town. Two other shows will follow. Currently, he works as a freelance, notably for the Alhambra. “I also design logos for punk-rock groups and have been collaborating with the Montreux Jazz Festival for seven years,” added the artist.
As for drawing, he practiced it from a very young age. At school, listening to the lessons with one ear, he covered his brochures and notebooks with sketches with application: “Maybe that’s why I was a dunce. But this passion, I owe it above all to my grandmother, who was a painter and president of the Cantonal Decoration Fund. I was always stuck in her studio watching how she drew. Often with the technique of stencil and acrylic spray. I liked very much, it was not ordinary painting. To my grandmother who once asked me why I got tattooed, I replied that I liked the design so much that I had it in my skin. She understood.”
To achieve his “cutting edge” works, Vincent Cabral is notably inspired by skateboard paintings, such as Powell Peralta: “Everything that comes from the American school of screen printing at Fire House, Rat Fink, in short, what is part of my Rock n’roll and punk rock culture, ”he adds. He uses enamel paint to make his works and sometimes adds a few gold and silver leaves. But the main thing lies elsewhere: “What I like is to give life to forgotten objects. It is for this reason that apart from painting and sanding the rust, I always leave them as they are. This is what gives charm to my works. I like the idea of recycling these objects in an artistic way. “
If he intends to continue on this path, the question does not even arise, but the support could once again change: “I have the idea of painting on old irons, it is a beautiful surface, no ? ” We don’t doubt it for a moment.
For an overview of his works, see on Facebook and Instagram Kustom Cleavers
Created: 22.02.2020, 08h18
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