Fundraising in a flash

Absolution x Qtopia Flash Day will be held at Absolution Tattoo and body piercing studio in the Christchurch Arts Centre on Sunday April 14. Designs are priced between $50-$350 and the proceeds are donated to Qtopia. All the designs are on Absolutions Instagram.  

A Tattoo flash day is usually a fundraiser with pre-drawn designs at set prices. People are able to walk in and select a design and get it tattooed. There are no holds and it’s first in, first served.  

Qtopia is a non-profit organisation that supports rainbow rangatahi in Canterbury. They work with LGBTQIA+ youth, providing social support groups, advocacy in schools and run corporate education programs.  

Board member Khye Hitchcock says Qtopia reached out to Absolution and proposed the idea. Absolution kindly agreed and have designed some great Qtopia exclusive flash.   

“Within rainbow culture, there is a degree of expressing one's own identity and tattooing is a really fun way that a lot of people chose to do that these days, so I think there’ll be a lot of support from within the community who want to get a tattoo that expresses who they are.”  

Khye says tattooing is for everyone, so people who might not have otherwise come along in support of queer youth will turn up to get a tattoo.  

Absolution Tattoo artist Liv O’Callaghan says all six artists at Absolution are involved. Some have themed designs as well as ones that were already drawn and ready to go. She says she's pumped and excited about the flash day.  

“It’s a great cause. I think the day and age we live in ... there’s a lot of hate and pressure and whatever else, and we were approached by them, so what better people to support.”  

Liv says that because the event was postponed from March 17 because of the Christchurch shootings, two of the artists, Becky and Lani, will be tattooing on a separate day as they can’t make the new date.