Coal

When was a kid, he, like many younger siblings, had his idea of the world slashed to pieces by an older cousin. It was revealed to the young Mono that Marilyn Manson was, in fact, a commercial artist who did not embody the idea of “true punk”. For a budding artist with a rebellious spirit, what a revelation! “This concept totally changed my understanding of the world! Later, I came to understand that real art is irrespective of the demands and tastes of the majority, and is only art when conceived as an end in and of itself and not merely as a means to an end.” With this valuable knowledge tucked safely away, Mono creates tattoos that are not only unique as a concept, but are wholly cooperative with the individual body structure of each client. “All bodies are unique and so are my designs. I draw directly on the person’s body, respecting its qualities, and I try to use and highlight already existing aesthetics, be it the structure of musculature, bone geometry, or small things, like an interesting scar or a birthmark.” Mono’s tattoo designs build simple structures and clean shapes out of precise dotwork, establishing a quiet elegance with each pattern and shadow. “My style is a reflection of my inherent ambiguity. Perpetual oscillation between polarities produces tension that becomes my creative force. Seeing the world in dualistic terms of good or bad, black or white, provides insufficient understanding of the increasingly complex reality. The shadowland that exists in-between two ideals is where I wander in my introspective moments. I also draw inspiration from everyday banality. I find repetition reassuring, a peaceful contrast to my hunger for the new and unfamiliar. Ergo, my heavily dotted patterns are a sort of meditation on a theme -- the subtle variations of everyday-ness.”
〰️ Interviewed by Coal 〰️
- Request in your city on wearecoal.com/artistmono {link in his bio} - @ Berlin, Germany