The Star of Texas Tattoo Art Revival, Austin’s largest tattoo convention, returns this week, running January 30 to February 1 at the Palmer Events Center. Now in its 23rd year, the convention draws several hundred tattoo artists from across the country.

Founded and organized by Marcy Molkenthen, the event began as a smaller hotel show at the Crowne Plaza before expanding to the Palmer Events Center five years later. Molkenthen launched the convention after moving to Austin from Southern California, with the goal of creating a gathering that emphasized community, craft, and collaboration among tattoo artists.

This year’s Revival is intentionally tighter and more focused, with less emphasis on spectacle and more attention on tattooing itself, Molkenthen says. The event's Facebook page is a daily announcement of additional artists being added to the show the show. Artists travel in from major tattoo hubs including California and New York, tattooing live on the convention floor throughout the weekend. Attendees can buy one-day ($25) or weekend passes ($60) online.

More than 400 artists have indicated they will attend the event.

Few rigid rules govern how artists work at the show, Molkenthen says. Some schedule appointments in advance for larger or more detailed custom pieces, allowing them to draw and plan ahead. Others prefer a walk-up approach, tattooing first-come, first-served designs drawn in advance, commonly known as flash. The mix allows attendees to either plan a tattoo ahead of time or decide on the spot.

Artist selection prioritizes specialists across a wide range of styles, including Japanese, bold traditional, abstract, pointillism, photo-realistic, and anime-inspired work. The event aims to represent as many approaches as possible rather than booking generalists. The weekend also includes tattoo contests judged across multiple categories, alongside the informal exchange that happens when artists work side by side.

One of the weekend’s related events takes place ahead of the convention. On Thursday night, the Revival hosts an opening reception and book release at Conroy Gallery, 806 McPhaul St., for legendary tattoo photographer Billy Tinney. The opening runs from 7-10 pm and marks Tinney’s first solo gallery exhibition.

The show features roughly 150 photographic prints spanning Tinney’s decades documenting tattoo culture, including early convention work tied to Tattoo Magazine. Tinney, who served as the magazine’s editor-in-chief and senior photographer for more than three decades, is helping revive the publication after a multi-year hiatus. Coverage of the Star of Texas Tattoo Art Revival will be among the early convention features included as the magazine returns.

The gallery exhibition remains on view for two weeks, open daily from noon to 6 pm, except Tuesdays. Tinney will also be on site throughout the weekend working a booth at the convention.