The Art of Skateboarding: Body Art at WST Rome Street Skateboarding 2023

Art has been embedded into the fabric of skateboarding ever since the sport’s inception.

From fine-art board graphics to fashion looks that have inspired waves of generations to dress in simiar styles, to video parts creatively edited to the beat of the music - individuality and artistry are two critical pillars of what it means to skate, even today.

One dimension of that special synergy includes body art, which can often be seen on display in skate parks and skate contests in the form of tattoos, ranging in size, style and number.

At the WST Street Skateboarding Rome 2023 event, a competition where skateboarders can earn ranking points towards qualification for Paris 2024, Olympics.com spoke with a handful of the top street skaters to learn more about their personal body art and why they chose to get inked.

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Manny Santiago, 38 - Puerto Rico

Tattooed from neck to toe, Manny Santiago’s body is a tapestry of ink with each one holding its own unique meaning.

“They're just moments in my life I look back at,” said the 38-year-old Puerto Rican, talking about his ink.“No matter how long these years go by, I still have it, right? Like keeping that energy."

Pointing to a wing on his right shoulder, Santiago detailed why it is one of his favourites of the many he has etched onto his skin.

“I consider myself a very quirky dude, very funny, I'll make a fool out of myself to put a smile on someone's face just because I know it's just awesome. So I have this one wing on my arm. I don't have another one. I have one wing. And people ask, ‘Why do you have one? Where are you going to finish it?’ I'm like, No, it's funny, right? Because if I flap my wing, I'm going to just fly in a circle. And people like, think about it. They just picture a bird just flying with one wing in a circle and it just makes them laugh.”

Connected to the wing is a traditional Tahitian tribal tattoo which is another the skateboarder says is a favourite.

“I have this very tribal, traditional, Tahitian tattoo that I got up in a hut on the top of the mountain of one of the islands in Tahiti, in a shack by these big Samoan dudes.

“They took me into the shack and the guy's like, ‘What do you know? What do you want?’ And I'm like, well, I want something about health and protecting my family and energy, and so they tattoo all this cool stuff. And to date, when I go to any tattoo shop, which is rare because I get most of my tattoos from my friends or random people, every tattoo artist says, ‘That's the best tattoo you have.’”

As well as having tattoos done by professional artists, Santiago says he also lets friends work on his body, including his partner Christiana who inked the skaters’ Tokyo 2020 tattoo.

“She also tattooed amore, which is love in Spanish,” Santiago continued. “And then she got mahal on her neck, which is in Tagalog, is amore (love). So she has like a matching tattoo in her language.”

Santiago also admitted that he recently tattooed himself on his thigh to give himself a message that he could look down at when he needed a pick-me-up.

“It says ‘Dear Manuelito’, which is like my nickname in Spanish when I was a kid, ‘thus far we have realised that life is truly what you make. Never let anybody tell you differently.' And it's like a bunch of that, you know? Like, 'love is key. Don't forget to laugh while it's still free. Sincerely, Manny, 2020'.”

Chris Joslin, 27 - USA

Like Santiago, Team USA’s Chris Joslin’s skin is also decorated with tattoos that hold significant meaning.

Pointing to the left side of his body, the 27-year-old talked through the tattoos he holds dearest, beginning first by showing a tattoo dedicated to his grandma. During the early years of his, Joslin explained, he was raised by his grandparents while his parents battled addiction.

“I have my grandma's name right here. The one that raised me,” Joslin explained.

“I have my daughter's name on my chest, and I have my son's name right here. And those three are probably the most important to me.

“I put my daughter's name right over the heart because she was my first-born. And then my son's name goes next to hers on the left side, close to my heart as well. And my grandma is on the left side as well.

“Another one that's not as important as those three, but also important is my very first board graphic, which is this one right here, which also has a lot of sentimental value, which is again, on the left side.”

The decision, Joslin explained, to put the tattoos that carry the most significance on his left side comes down to what else is also situated on the left side of the body: his heart.

“Everything that's pretty sentimental to me stays on the left side… which is on the side of my heart.

“All the ones that are like, I don't want to say meaningless, but don't hold as much value, stay on the right side."

Margie Didal, 24 - Philippines

Immediately flexing her bicep at the mention of tattoos, Margie Didal grinned as she showed off her favourite tattoo to date: her Olympic ink.

The Olympic rings, in their distinctive colours, are painted across the muscle with 2021 emblazoned underneath. An additional detail she decided to add when she got it done was the inclusion of a virus in place of the ‘0’ in ’20’ and then, in the place of the 1, a vaccine.

“20, with the 0 is when the pandemic started with the virus, Didal explained. “And then the 21 is when we had the vaccine and also the Olympic year.”

Then quickly shifting to her forearm, the Filipina then showed off another tattoo directly connected to skateboarding.

“I got this,” she proudly showed off, “a skateboard with a heartbeat.”

When asked why she has tattoos, the skateboarder nervously laughed, “I don’t know’ she said.

“Maybe if I qualify [for Paris 2024] then I’ll get another Olympic tattoo. They have the pictogram now for skateboarding and I always wanted to get one.”

Nyjah Huston, 28 - USA

Famed street contest skater Nyjah Huston can be instantly recognised for his many tattoos.

Estimating that around 90 per cent of his body is covered in ink, the 28-year-old American told GQ in an interview that he believed for a long time he wasn't ready to be inked.

“My first tattoo ever was on my arm, I was 18 years old," Huston said to the magazine, explaining how he was pressured by a friend to get it."‘Skate and destroy’, it’s a Thrasher saying. I think it’s sick I got that as my first one because that is the classic skate saying."

Unlike Joslin and Santiago however, Huston maintains most of his tattoos are not personally valuable to him.

"Most of the stuff doesn't mean something to me, I more so get stuff that I see and that I'm hyped on. And I think that fits my vibe."

Pointing to his left leg, the skater explains it's his "fried leg" and is the dedicated space for what he calls his most random tattoos. A pineapple, a waffle, and even a ferret riding a skateboarding feature as part of the eclectic collection."