You had mentioned that you felt you were creatively restricted in Dubai and that was one of the primary reasons you made the big decision of coming to NYC. In what way were you and why did you choose to come to NYC?
NYC has always been that dream destination for me. Knowing art was a career I wanted to pursue, it was a no brainer. Even though Dubai was a young country and had a lot of space to grow I knew I wouldn't be the place where I would achieve my full ability. And what other better place than NYC, the epicenter of creativity be it fashion, theater, music, artifacts, or tattooing.
You seem to have many creative outlets/mediums other than tattooing, whether it be painting, spray painting, or just drawing. What drove you to tattooing?
I have always admired tattoos and tattoo artists but never once thought as a freshmen in college that it would become a career I'd pursue. It all started when I landed my first apprenticeship. Prior to that I have always sketched and carried a boom around. Friends have told me I should think about it. Being a creative I love to just create. I have been painting my entire life so jumping onto different mediums was always fun. Experimenting and challenging myself created so many different platforms and tattooing was and is one of them.
What is your approach to fashion editorials? And can you share a little about some of your past editorials?
Tattooing shouldn't just be an experience for the client where they come get what they want. There are a lot of shops and artists out there especially in NYC that offer the service but it's like any other art, what am I really trying to say with this. I want my clients to feel whatever the piece they may get I want them to undergo almost a transformation. An uplifting one. My work speaks on an emotional level and I hope that my clients leave my chair feeling energized, motivated and almost transformed into a higher enlightened being. It's never JUST a tattoo.
We noticed that both in your tattoo work as well as your other artwork, you gravitate towards black and white. Did this just naturally occur or is there something about the monochrome palette that you preferred as opposed to color?
I think It just related back to my background in architectural interior design I studied in college. That definitely played the major role in my work today. I have always studied geometry and I only worked with pencil, graphite, charcoal and black sumi ink. 10 years later this is the route I have chosen to take on. It's beautiful to me to see the shades of grey and black all form to create depth within An image, regardless of the medium.
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