Want Free Art? Get A Tattoo

A growing number of Canadian artists are giving away art to fans who are willing to wear it permanently, the Globe & Mail reports. The art buffs get free prints and a tattoo, while artists put their work out there on human flesh. "When I say 'this is by a local artist' it's so much more punk rock," said one buyer who forked out $300 for a tattoo and got 12 prints for free.

The tattoo-for-art trade has existed for years, says Toronto artist Daryl Vocat. "I joke about it as 'the blood cult,'" he said. "It's a comeback to the idea of subculture. As mainstream as tattoos are today, it's a nod to this thing [being] underground." (More tattoo artists stories.)