User:Hady beydoun

Hady Beydoun, born on March 26, 1974 Beirut, Lebanon.

A brilliant artist who single-handedly brought tattooing as an art form to the lime light in Beirut and the Middle East where it has historically been considered very taboo. He has done work for everyone from neighborhood kids to kings and royalty. He was once a very angry artist but have become increasingly successful and is entering the generative phase of his career. he is also credited as an ethical mentor. He has managed to make his mark artistically without relying on reference to local politics or religion.

Putting ink to skin for the first time on January 20th, 1995 Hady Beydoun brought the tattoo to Beirut. In the decade and a half since, Hady has single handedly been responsible for bringing the art form to the limelight in a region where it has traditionally been considered very taboo. Unbeknownst to many, there has always a method to his madness. He has deliberately been the compass of his industry providing it with a standard of professionalism, a code of ethics, a sense awareness, and most importantly an unrelenting supply of passion.

Acutely aware of the social stereotypes of his era, rendering anyone with a tattoo a vagrant; Hady went to extremes to make amends at a national scale. Beydoun graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1996 from the Department of Architecture & Graphic Design. There he acquired the skills and work ethic required to bring a sense of professionalism to his new labor; a professionalism the tattoo itself desperately needed to alleviate its stigma. Apart from tattooing Hady has been a successful self-employed "fee-for-service" graphic designer, fine artist, and airbrush illustrator of industrial proportion. It can safely be said with great modesty that his ancillary work has has been instrumental in bringing the tattoo to a larger audience through out the Middle East and shifting its status from taboo to trendy.

During the initial stages of his career Hady could be described as an 'angry' artist in search of recognition. In his own words, "I would not be a good artist if people did not enjoy my work." In much the same way Weber had accepted the rational disenchantment of the world, Hady had accepted the disenchantment  of Art and thus reduced and rationalized his passion to a formula. He believed success for an artist was the sum of a calculus involving hard work, good intentions, and monetary reward. From the very beginning Hady would not let a moment in time lapse without a purpose and progress to his work. He believed being an artist was not something you could turn on or off like a switch but more so was way of life that required a constant cycle of experiment and re-evaluation to beget progress. A visit to his studio and gallery alone are an experience to behold but for the trained eye that can see past the trademark style that is now commonly known as Hady Beydoun's one will see a barrage of artistic trial and error diligently titrated to its current form.

With his diligence and toil came an ethic and an anger. Where lapses in the former created a fuel for the latter. Hady had strived for 'mensch-hood' as an artisan. He ardently applied a self-imposed code of conduct to his business, artwork, and patrons. He felt artwork was only deemed honorable when the artist gave everything of himself to his work and in reciprocation believed firmly that the said artist deserved just appreciation for his toil. One of Beydoun's most noticeable prejudices during the early phase of his career was directed at those who slight the value of art or the artist in the community at large. This anger was channelled in two directions, first against other artists. Hady spent considerable time emphasizing the distinctions between creativity and plagiarism. Secondly, and more so his anger was directed against the community's perception of the artists worth. Where Hady felt the constant need to raise awareness about the about the value of art in our lives, the role it has played in human history, and the efforts the individual artist makes on a daily basis to maintain a technical proficiency worthy of monetary reward. His efforts in raising public awareness have opened the door for a new generation of artists in Beirut; a generation that has been guaranteed a new medium and a new market to sustain them.

As Beydoun matured both as a person and as an artist his passion for his work has not wavered. Instead that very passion has manifested itself, not as aggression or anger but as a generative source of creativity. Beydoun has since published his own news letters and distributed media. This added outlet of expression gave room to his writing and contributions to poetry and philosophy, served as a platform for consumer awareness about appropriate needle safety and tattoo hygiene, and most importantly became an open space where anyone was welcome to contribute and be heard. While Beydoun has managed to steer clear of the all too common concerns related to the local political strife of his region he has been extremely verbal proponent of conserving intellectual capital and encouraging other regional artists and professionals to remain and donate their skills and passion to the local market place.

What is to come next from our favorite man little man with a needle? Who knows. I assure you it will be just that much better from whatever you've seen from him before. Enjoy the new website. www.hadybeydoun.com