Hungarian tattoo artist creates “motion-tattoo” by inking 70 people with the life of a rose

Budapest, Hungary – Hungarian tattoo artist Balazs Bercsenyi inked on 70 different people a series of tattoos linked together in stop-motion style. Known as “A Life of a Rose”, the “motion-tattoo” portrays the life cycle of a rose, from a bud to its death.

“I wanted the story to revolve around a rose because it is such a beautiful symbol and metaphor of love,” Balazs Bercsenyi said. “It represents the cycle of life when the rose is born and then used as a tool to uplift and inject expression for a human being. The rose is a perfect example of how we should live our lives, to bloom and give our gift away.”

Talented tattoo artist Bercsenyi sent out a message in Hungarian to his Instagram followers with a submission form to apply and take part in the ambitious project. 600 people answered his call. “We then gave access to 100 applicants to book a session, with 70 slots available,” he explains. The only requirement was that all applicants had to be from Hungary.

Well known in the body-art community and a former member of the world-renowned Bang Bang crew in New York City, the Pécs-native says he was inspired by Kobe Bryant’s short animation film, Dear Basketball.

The basic concept of motion tattooing is to use individual tattoos to create a larger stop-motion story on many different bodies in a flip-book animation style. It took Bercsenyi seven days to complete the project. “The underlying purpose of this animation tattoo project was to create a sense of oneness, where the lasting outcome is in being part of something that is bigger than the individual.”

But enough talking…