Canadian Rami Shulfield has entered the 2027 Guinness World Records as the most tattooed living person on the planet. According to the publication, about 90% of his body is covered in ink, and in some areas, the skin has been “repainted” up to forty layers. For the tattoo industry, this event is akin to a breakthrough: for the first time, the record fixes not just the area, but the depth and multiplicity of the masters’ work on the same patch of skin.
How the Canadian surpassed a twenty-year record
For many years, the title of the most tattooed person was held by Lucky Diamond Rich, a performance artist from New Zealand, whose skin is completely covered with drawings from head to toe. This record stood for about two decades, and Rami, in his own words, had already resigned himself to the fact that his name would never appear in the famous book. However, the 2027 edition introduced a new nomination that specifically accounts for the repeated application of tattoos over old ones. It was this criterion that propelled the Canadian to the forefront. The 2027 book itself compiles about 3000 achievements from around the world, including, for example, a My Little Pony fan from Sussex and a London juggler who spins a 10 kg table on her feet.
Rami emphasizes that for him, this is not just a statistic, but a recognition of a life dedicated to a “passion project.” He did not attend university, worked as a chef for twenty years, and managed a restaurant, so he compares receiving the record to receiving a diploma – as a lifelong achievement.
Why the face remained almost clean
The first thing that catches the eye in the photographs is the relatively ink-free face. However, work on it took years: bats on the eyelids, inscriptions above the eyebrows, individual elements along the chin and around the face. The face alone took about 130 hours. Nevertheless, Rami consciously decided not to cover his face completely, and it was this, as he admits, that deprived him of hope for the record. The pressure from those around him was strong – everyone advised him to “finish tattooing his face,” but he did not cross that threshold. The turning point came after the intervention of Lucky Diamond Rich, who organized a meeting with Guinness representatives, and the record was registered two days later.
Rami himself explains his refusal to cover his face completely by a matter of self-perception: when the face is completely covered, the way of interacting with the world changes, and this decision becomes irreversible. He doesn’t want the project to “consume” him as a person.
Tattoos that will never be repainted
Interestingly, not so long ago, Rami had no plans to get tattoos at all – he was more of a piercing person and had over 100 piercings before his first tattoo. He got his very first at 17: his son’s name on his forearm. Today, two decades later, 90% of his body is covered, but there are also “untouchable” areas. On his head are memorial tattoos – in memory of his mother, father, and the mother of his son, who passed away from cancer in 2016. According to Rami, anything applied as a memorial will never be covered. A special place on his thigh is occupied by the portrait of his dog Mozart – a shih-tzu poodle, with whom he lived for 16 years and who died in April of last year.
Even after the record was set, the pace has not slowed down: Rami continues to visit the artist twice a week and is already planning to completely redo his back. He notes that for him, tattoos are not “forever,” but rather interchangeable clothing: a pattern can be changed faster than hair can grow.
Expert view: what this record means for tattoo culture
From the perspective of tattoo culture history, Rami Shulfield’s case is important for several reasons. Firstly, it marks a transition from the aesthetic of “one layer” to the aesthetic of a “living canvas,” where skin is viewed as a surface that can be endlessly reworked. Secondly, the record legitimizes the full body and blackout tattoo styles, which were considered marginal not long ago. Thirdly, the story shows how tattoos are becoming a tool for self-identification and even a therapeutic ritual: memorial works and portraits of loved ones turn the body into a personal gallery of memory.
For the professional community, this is a signal: the tattoo market is shifting from individual designs to long-term “body projects,” where the client and artist work for years, revising the composition and color. It is this approach that has become the key to the new Guinness World Record.