Interview
Arirang
Arirang is a Korean tattoo artist. The name ‘Arirang’ is taken from a Korean folk song, and contains a profound meaning, being ‘a pass to visit myself’.
Arirang has enjoyed art since he was young, but was unable to follow his desire. As time went by, his dream disappeared. Eventually though, he heard that ingrained artistic calling again and went for it, with patience and commitment.
Arirang declares that he doesn't know what lies at the end of this journey, but he will continue to grow in his work and mind. He is resolved to always do whatever is needed to walk on a better path.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My childhood dream was to be a painter. I attended an art kindergarten when I was four years old, then studied art at a private academy until middle school. When I entered high school, I had to quit art due to family circumstances. I was not interested in university, so I dropped out and joined the military.
After that, I made money doing various part-time jobs. With the money I saved, I went on a working holiday to Australia for two years. There, I worked as a tiler — a job I found really hard. My back and knees suffered, and I couldn’t hear in one ear. All the friends I used to hang out with went back to Korea, so I wandered around a lot. I relieved stress by wasting money. After ruining my health and money, I returned to Korea. Even after returning to Korea, my wanderings continued, and I started to feel more and more disconnected with myself.
One day, after staring at myself in the mirror, exhausted, I made up my mind to start anew. I wrote down some of my favorite things. I also wrote down various things I wanted to do. Around that time, a tattooist friend who had passed away appeared in my dream. The dream was very clear. From then on, I started working on a construction site to earn money to become a tattoo artist. The harder the work, the stronger my dream became. Soon after, I started my journey in the tattoo world.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My message is warm. Negative thoughts always fill my head easily. If you draw in that state, it will definitely be communicated in some form. I want my tattoos to be a help to someone who has lived a hard life, and so bad thoughts should not be engraved. I usually try to empty my mind of these negative thoughts and instead, put as much warmth as possible. When I draw, I always listen to my favorite songs, and I draw with the hope that good energy will be passed on to the person. Empty is actually a message. Each person has a different path, and thinks and judges with a different thought process. However, I hope that the end result will bring good energy for them, adding a warm heart to the interpretation.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“I'm not interested in trends. If I am inadvertently following any trends, it is unintentional. I'm just trying to express what I want to express.”
“I leave it up to the customer to see, hear, and feel what they will. I don't want to dismiss a picture that can have thousands of interpretations by defining it with a single word. No matter how you interpret it, everything is correct, and everything is art.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“Usually, I plan ahead. After taking a shower while designing, I look at it with new eyes and revise it the next day. This is because the more detailed the preparation process, the higher the quality of the work.
However, sometimes if a very good idea comes to mind clearly, I ask the customer for consent and work on it right away.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“After consulting with the customer, I work on the design and stencil. After that, I work on tattoos on the customer's skin. Materials include tattoo machines, needles, ink, and other auxiliary supplies. The key to technology is how smoothly the needle can express various tones and densities.”
What does your art mean to you?
"My work is my life. I always try to be a better person with better results. I challenge myself often and sometimes fail. But I shake it off and get up and walk again straight away. My work is the same.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“I enjoy Egon Schiele's works because of all the emotion they inspire in me when looking at them. I think his life and the times he lived were well mixed together, so it touched my heart more.”
Instagram: @tattooist_arirang & @tattooist_hago
