Hennessy VS x Scott Campbell: Blending the Unexpected
As per the yearly tradition, Hennessy has chosen a new collaboration for their VS Limited Edition artist series. The idea behind the line is essentially a reinterpretation of the brand's bulletproof legacy, a legacy moulded by both exceptional style and superior taste. This year, Hennessy has chosen celebrity tattoo and visual artist, Scott Campbell. I was blessed enough to spend the day with Scott during his visit to Toronto over an intimate lunch and interview, and the subsequent Hennessy VS launch party.
The name may ring a bell to you. Scott Campbell was the creator of an art installation entitled Whole Glory. The concept is incredible, truly pushing the boundaries on the relationship and trust between an artist and their client. Participants who submit to the process (selected randomly from a hat) sit on one side of a wall, and stick their arm through a small hole. Scott is seated on the other side, ready to tattoo the perfect stranger with a piece of his choosing. "There is a real magic in the ritual of tattooing that is personal and spontaneous. It's that really amazing exchange between the artist and recipient," Scott says.
Scott and I spoke extensively about the differences between tattooing anonymously on opposite sides of a wall, traditional tattooing, and the fine arts (in which he has also developed a remarkable reputation).
"As I started to do more work in fine art and the other mediums, I started to feel the difference between painting on canvas and tattooing on skin become more and more profound, and I found myself switching modes back and forth from painting on a canvas and having total freedom, and then going back to tattooing where I had to ask permission, and respond to people's opinions. So I just wanted to close that gap, I wanted to tattoo with the freedom that this other craft has to offer, so that's how it came about."
Fans of Scott Campbell are well aware of his affinity for the number 3. When I asked him about his dedication to that number (and symbolism in general), his explanations were interesting. He wasn't a fan of the term superstition, but he admitted he does things a certain way for a certain personal reason. He described the number 3 as being very powerful, to the point that he incorporates it whenever possible (if someone wants flowers tattooed, he designs them in multiples of 3).
Scott also talked about the fact that he is referred to as a "celebrity tattoo artist", a term coined by those around him in the community and the general public at large. "The way other people describe my job has no bearing on the way I spend the hours of my day. Call it whatever you want, as long as I just get to draw pictures all day, I'm good."
We discussed whether or not his Glory Hole approach to tattooing was an attempt at a pushback to traditional tattooing, and he admitted he didn't intend it to be. Scott's deep interest in fine arts and mixed mediums is certainly indicative of the fact that this artist doesn't feel boundaries in his work. "Tattooers are like the strippers of the art world. You get into it when you're young, and it's really kind of sexy and exciting, and you think it's freedom, because you know, you get to listen to whatever music when you do it, and you get to live in this little fringe society, but at the end of the day no matter how far you take that, it's still a service industry. You're still accommodating someone else." With the notoriety he's gained recently in fine arts, he's been trying to correct the public perception, demanding the same respect for tattoo art, just as the other mediums receive.
One of my favourite things to discuss is the transition society has gone through in regards to tattoo acceptance, and Scott's views were rather congruent with my own. "Tattoos have changed so much in the eyes of pop culture that they are more accepted now. I feel that 20 years ago if I went through customs without covering all my tattoos, they'd search my bags, assuming I'm smuggling drugs, whereas now with tattoo reality shows, and everything as out in the open as it is, I don't feel that judgement as much." He spoke about tattoos as a way of now controlling your own identity; it's no longer whether or not you have tattoos, it's what do you have. As an example, he says "I'm going to walk into this tattoo shop and get a rose on my arm, and for the rest of my life, I will be a person with a rose on my arm, and I think that's really powerful."
Scott is also a dedicated family man, married to actress Lake Bell with their daughter Nova, who just turned 2. I joked about whether or not he'd be willing to tattoo his daughter if and when she decides she wants ink, and he said "Totally, if she wants me to. I mean, I can't tell her no, it'd be the most hypocritical thing ever. As every parent knows, if you make something taboo you make it attractive." He said he didn't have aspirations of being a father, but "meeting a capable mother was a big part of it."
The entire experience was one of a kind. Scott's design for the Hennessy bottle is breathtaking, and very true to form with his style. It's incredible to see collaborations like these between the unlikely, and Hennessy should be commended for blending the unexpected. Definitely try and get a bottle before the run ends - mine is nestled safely on my bar beside the amazing stainless steel photobook he launched.
Next time there's a hole in a wall, stick your arm through and see if it comes back tattooed.
Hop over to Scott’s website to watch an amazing video on Whole Glory.
All photos credited to Nick Wons 2016.













