Interview
Nancy Abraham
Nancy Abraham is a professional Mexican tattoo artist, considered one of the best contemporary tattoo artists now days with a background in Art, her initial idea was not to be a tattoo artist but a painter, and that is reflected in her work. Her freestyle tattoos where defined around 2012 when she lived in Thailand for a year, spending many hours a day drawing and painting. Upon returning to Mexico, her work began to be recognized as one of the best tattoo artists in her country. Her work has been published on platforms such as Tattrx, Inkedmag, Tattoodo, Inkspirationworld, Cultura Colectiva, El País, Tatuarte, Total Tattoo Magazine, among others... being internationally recognized. She has tattooed in exhibitions and studios in Mexico, Thailand, Spain, Holland, France, Germany, Colombia, among others.
Her style is closer to art than to traditional tattooing, it is unique, since it does not fit into any definition per se, as she experiments and creates esthetic compositions with the body, collage type, constantly innovating and reinventing herself with styles, elements, colors and textures; using brushes and/or markers in a more spontaneous way during the session, since for her it is not just a tattoo, but a total experience of the moment in which each piece is created. Nancy is currently based in Merida, Yucatan, and traveling constantly, nationally and internationally doing conventions and other art-related events.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Art in various forms always has been in my life one way or another, since I was a child I’ve always like drawing and painting, is an intuitive part of who I am, and how I reach out to the world and also to regulate the outside world to my interior self and beliefs, art is the primary language before we learn other language.”
What inspires you?
“I get inspired by traveling, meeting new people, get to share different cultures and ways of enjoying life and values, the colours and shapes in life itself, music, and of course the way other artists share their art.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I love to have a rhythm visually, and I do value the shapes of the bodies itself to create my tattoos, the energy of the people I get to meet tell me much about what is needed to be there. I never tattoo something with negative meaning, on the contrary, I pursue the enrichment of the life of my client with the designs on them, that they live a fuller more aesthetic life, and of self love.”
How would you describe your work?
“My work is not easy to define, not even for me, it has different variations in each piece but underlined by graphic, abstract, painting style, collage, long lines, patterns, colors or just blacks and textures. the combinations are limitless, and that’s what excites me the most. Depending on the concept is the way I flow for doing the design, for that specific person. Its always a new idea.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I have to say I have a few: Jay Freestyle, Ivanna Belakova, Ondrash, Pichiavo, Miró, Tapies, Pollock, Klimt, Dalí, Baz Lurhman, Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, and so on. I have a vast visual archive that is always growing.”
“My artistic inspiration arises from the interplay of light and shadow, which transforms scenes and reveals depths.”
What is your creative process like?
“I talk by email with the client, and get some data, with that data I now have an Idea of what line to go. And one night before the appointment, I get some ideas flowing before I go to sleep, and sleep on that ideas. The following morning, I play with those options in different ways, and experiment not judging what come out but guiding the design with the data and the body part. It can take from one to two hours and when it’s done, I always also let a few options around for some changes or something cool that I would like to try if the client is up for it.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists say what nobody else wants to say, or throw the light at, also to show the inside world that habits inside of us for everybody to see, its a really vulnerable position to be, and is so necessary so that we can feel, and not forget to feel alive and that aur time here is limited but also we can be timeless in what we create for others.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have been featured in some magazine articles in the UK, Spain and Latin America. I’ve been at various tattoo conventions internationally, also as a judge a couple of times. I’ve been interviewed for some Youtube channels. As a tattoo artist, I focus more on the one on one experience, for me this is how I feel fulfilled in my mission.”
Website: www.nancyabraham.com
Instagram: @nancy_abraham_tattoos
