Light fantastic: Papi shines at Lights of Soho

"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary," says Beautiful Losers curator Aaron Rose. It's a quote that seems tailor-made for the artwork of Tatt Light's Roger Taylor – or "Papi", as he's more known by his friends.

Papi's work marries vintage-style lights with the bold, brash strokes of tattoo art, transforming naïve lines into intricate mixtures of shadow and light. In the hands of this self-taught artist, iconic inkings such as love-hearts, playing cards and mermaids take on new life, leading to sell-out shows in London and exhibitions around the world, as well as collaborations with renowned street artists such as Pegasus.

"I feel tattoo art is misunderstood," the artist tells Portfolio at the opening of his new six-week exhibition at private members' club Lights of Soho in London. "There is a beauty in these bold lines and I wanted to throw a little bit of light into that.

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"I wanted to communicate the honest and historical value of beautiful images that carry so many symbolic meanings, to display them through a different medium and enable a wider audience to see the beauty that I see."

He achieved his aim last year, lighting up social media with his Wings of Desire installation: two giant wings illuminated by hundreds of filament bulbs, hung to encourage the viewer to interact with it. Instagram was filled with "angels" standing in front of the piece, each giving it their own interpretation.

It was the exact reaction the artist wanted. "This was my first concept of people being part of the art. We all want to fly, we all want a set of wings, and I wanted people to try that," he says.

Spreading your wings is something Papi knows all about. He left the UK to train to be an actor at the Lee Strasbourg theatre institute in New York, but ironically abandoned the limelight to focus on set design and travel the world.

"I've been creative from a young age, whether it be in performing arts or visual arts - this is the way I feel most comfortable expressing myself," he says. "I've always been involved in creating special environments for people to perform in or enjoy.

"Living in so many countries - from South America to Asia - has given me a wonderful palette of experience to draw from and that influences the work I produce today. My background has brought me to where I am now - it's given me that Broadway feeling.

"Set design is about creating a moment in time and making it tangible. This is what I attempt to do with my current work. When you're around this colour or light, it sets a certain mood and this element - creating an atmosphere - is similar to set design."

His inspiration may be global – Papi also cites US tattoo artist Sailor Jerry, who was famous for inking sailors, and "all those tattoos from Hawaii and Honolulu, with their very bold thick lines" as influences – but the actual art is rooted in UK steelmaking. His pieces are made from weathered steel and sculpted by hand, using traditional tools and methods. A combination of ink and paint adds to the vintage feel, all lit by Edison lamps. Such complex creation methods means pieces are one-offs or very limited editions.

"I now look at most images and objects these days and imagine what it would look like with light thrown in," Papi tells us. "Firstly I start to see the shape this image would create and start to place the lights in areas I feel would have a sympathetic fusion between light and art.

"When I have the piece in my mind’s eye, it's then a wonderful journey to the first switch-on. I just love the way each layer of the work builds, from the initial shapes of cut metal to spraying the images on the front plates. This is when I start to see it take on life. I hand-shape each piece with tools I've made myself to get the exact shapes and curves I need. Then I wire each lamp, ensuring that not too much voltage gets to it so that we get to see that beautiful glowing filament at the right intensity. Once all the layers are complete, they are then assembled into the final piece for the switch-on. I just love it. Art and light as one."

As well as the familiar tropes of body art, his work delights in the familiar and everyday: from an illuminated Amy Winehouse to Hilda Ogden's ducks mural, both of which can be see in latest show, Be Illuminated!, which embodies the vibrancy and energy of Soho. His work fits in well with Lights of Soho's ethos - the club is a cultural hub for artists in the area, offering a working space for creatives and members of the public to hang out during the day before turning into a private members' club at 6pm. As well as Papi, it has featured shows from the likes of Tracey Emin, Chris Bracey and Gavin Turk, along with emerging artists such as Rebecca Mason, Diana Chire and Aphra Shemza. Jude Law popped in once to show off his skills with a spray paint can, defacing an image of himself hung on one of the walls.

Curator Hamish Jenkinson says: "In 2016, we showcased Papi's angel wings and they took social media by storm. This year Papi is back with a full show and I cannot wait for him to transform the gallery in to a fairytale land with mermaids, exotic animals, angels and more light splendour."

Papi says: "I try to capture a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia in my work - if I could describe in one word what I feel, it would be 'nostalgia': a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past.

"Some of my pieces are an expression of what I was going through at the time, like Misunderstood – who hasn't been misunderstood at times? – while others are a way to appreciate that nostalgic tattoo art without committing to it on your skin."

His own wings have now landed in Manchester, where he set up his design studio, Tatt Light, in 2014. "There's a lot of growth and there's a lot of artists there," he says of his choice of city. "London's a bit saturated and I feel that Manchester is more raw, ground-roots.

"I really appreciate the honesty, integrity and true grit that seems to embody the Manchester art scene at the moment. It is very reminiscent to New York back in the late Nineties - a city in growth with a pioneering spirit."

Manchester has also been given the Papi touch – its worker-bee symbol has been transformed into light-work Bee Happy.

"The bee is the symbol of Manchester – they're worker bees, but I have a concept of them to give a positive message: happy creative, inspired, creative, amazing. The bees before represented you were working for someone, for a mill, as part of the industrial revolution. I wanted to put the message out there to people that we may be worker bees, but we can do it for ourselves, too."

It is a concept he is living as well as creating. This year brings with it several commissions, while talks are beginning about a possible show in Shanghai. One particular dream job is a little closer to home, however.

"The idea of this work was inspired by the Blackpool illuminations - another memory from childhood," he says. "I'd love to see a section of the strip with traditional tattoo images in lights."

Let's hope Blackpool sees the light.

Tattlight.com

Be Illuminated! runs until 13 May 2017 at Lights of Soho, 35 Brewer Street, London. Opening times: Monday-Sunday 11am-6pm; members only from 6pm-midnight. Membership starts at £150 a year. Lightsofsoho.com