Author: Rosalie Hurr

Tattoo artist of seven years, Ogi (@ogitattooer) currently works at Bk.ink studio in Seoul, Korea. We caught up with him to find out about his journey into the tattoo world and unique take on tattoo design…

How did you become a tattoo artist?

Korea doesn’t have any educational institutions related to tattoo education because tattooing used to be illegal. That’s why I reached out to tattooists on Facebook, I was interested to see if they could give me a tattoo masterclass. Among them was @bk_tattooer. I was able to learn tattoo from them and it was this opportunity that enabled me to become a tattooist.

What made you want to become a tattooer?

From a very young age, I loved drawing and it just came naturally to me. Due to the obligation of Korean men to join the military, I had to join when I was 20 years old. It was a time when tattoos were illegal and people with tattoos were not common. But, the military was a place where a variety of people came together and I was able to see many people with tattoos.

It was the first time I was able to see a tattoo up close. I found it really interesting that the canvas was not paper, but the human body. I was instantly fascinated by the uniqueness of the art, which was different from the art I’d seen before. At the same time, I thought, “Oh, I think I can do it better if I could do it.” From then on, I dreamed of becoming a tattoo artist.

Did you have a background in art?

I graduated from art school and majored in video design at a prestigious university. At that time, I also worked as a lecturer at an art academy for college entrance exams.

Do you have any tattoos – can you tell us about them?

I have a tattoo with a harmonious design of a statue shedding tears and a rose. It’s my first tattoo. It’s meaningful to me because it is my first tattoo, but the meaning behind this design also has a lot of meaning.

When I was in high school, I practiced drawing sculptures for 10 hours a day in order to get into the art college of my choice. This was very difficult for me. However, I endured this difficult time and was eventually able to go to the university of my choice. This tattoo expresses these things. The statue in the tattoo design represents the statue that I used to practice my drawing from. The image of the statue shedding tears represents the hard work I have done to prepare for college entrance exams and, finally, the rose represents me achieving my goal.

What was the first tattoo you did on someone else?

The first tattoo I did was for a friend of mine, a tattoo of the artwork ‘Cow’ by Korean artist Lee Jung-seob. I made the tattoo with the intention of transferring the work of a very famous Korean artist to my friend’s skin. Although I did not have a high level of skill in tattooing as I had only practiced tattooing on my leg before then, I am still satisfied with the result even now. 

How would you describe your style?

For my tattoos, the most important thing is a design that flows along the muscle line of the area of the body that it’s being tattooed on. At the same time, geometric elements are used to create the beauty of blank space.

I wanted to differentiate my work from the existing traditional black and grey tattoos, with dense colouring on the skin – a style that I sometimes feel is too much for me. In this way, my customer’s unique skin colour can be brought out and harmonises well with the tattoo. It’s a style of black and grey tattooing with an understated richness and sexiness.

What do you like to tattoo?

I like tattoos of any theme. Rather than saying what motifs I like to work on, instead I like doing huge-sized tattoos that can be designed to suit each customer’s different muscle lines and body shape. To put it simply, I make very well-tailored custom suits and dresses and my customers wear them.

What inspires you. Do you have any artists you admire?

I respect a tattoo artist named Oscar Akermo. I think he is the first artist to express tattoos that are understated yet rich. They follow the flow of the human body, which I think is the most important thing when creating a design. I have been greatly inspired by him.

How can clients book in with you?

They can access my work through social media – Instagram and Facebook, and they can contact me through my email (ogitattooer@gmail.com). 

Do you have any guest spots planned?

Currently I have guest spots scheduled in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Munich in Germany.

Is tattooing underground or becoming more mainstream nowadays in South Korea?

The number of people who have an open mind about tattoos is gradually increasing, and many people are getting tattoos. More and more current Korean celebrities are seen with tattoos, too. Originally in Korea, hair dye, body exposure, and especially tattoos were regulated even for celebrities. However, these things gradually began to change one by one as public perception changed, and the same goes for tattoos. So, I think tattoos will become more and more mainstream.

What’s been your proudest moment so far?

The answer to this question comes to my mind immediately without me even having to think about it. The moment is when I see my clients happy after getting a tattoo from me. All of these moments are precious and the proudest ones for me.

Make sure you follow @ogitattooer for more amazing black and grey tattoos.

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