Saskatoon family trying to recover tattoo artist’s preserved skin

A Saskatoon family is launching a desperate attempt to keep a loved one close to home.

Chris Wenzel, a Saskatoon tattoo artist with tattoos covering most parts of his body died, in November 2018.

To honour Wenzel and his life’s work, his wife Cheryl had his skin preserved to frame and display Wenzel’s tattoos at Electric Underground that Cheryl and Wenzel owned.

Wenzel’s final request to have his skin preserved became one of the largest-scale tattoo preservation projects in North America for roughly $80,000.

However, Cheryl was evicted from the Idylwyld Drive tattoo shop in October after she was unable to pay bills for much of last year.

The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to try and assist Cheryl after Round Table Management, which owns and runs the building, took control of all items inside, including Wenzel’s skin.

The family wants it back.

“It’s horrible. It’s disgusting on their part,” Nicole Ballantyne, Wenzel’s niece, said. “They’re basically leading up to auctioning everything off, including his skin.”

“How low can you get as a human being?”

The family has been reeling to learn more and fight to get Wenzel’s preserved skin back as Round Table looks to recoup its losses.

They’re hoping some sort of compromise can be reached so Wenzel’s skin is the only item returned to Saskatoon from Calgary, where it is being stored with all of Electric Underground’s other items.

“That was once a living person, and it’s priceless to the family,” Ballantyne said. “You can’t put a number on that.”

After learning about Cheryl’s financial struggles, Ballantyne and other family members set a fundraising goal of $35,000 to cover losses and roughly $8,000 owed for Wenzel’s gravestone.

Any additional money not needed will be donated to the Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Program (SCYAP) to form an art scholarship in Wenzel’s name.

Believing Round Table is trying to organize an auction of all items left inside, Ballantyne is hoping some added attention will help the property owner reconsider.

“It’s immoral. Even if we just get the skin back, I’m pretty sure his family would be ok with that,” Ballantyne said.

“That is more meaningful than all the other material possessions.”

Likening the situation to ransome, Ballantyne said Round Table is giving the family a grace period to try and come up with the money before any auction is held.

She said the family sees the act of withholding Wenzel’s skin, now a valuable piece of art, as an opportunity to seek profits.

“I’m speechless, I’m angry, I’m hurt, and so are a lot of people,” Ballantyne said.

“They’ve already lost their husband and father — now you’re taking the last bit of their world just because you’re owed money?”