Meet Nakkab | Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nakkab and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nakkab, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Everyone’s view and understanding of risk can be different. Since I couldn’t live most of the things I dreamed of until I turned 18 (and knew I probably never would) taking risks became inevitable for me. They say “losing hope is freedom” for a reason.

The first risk I took was standing up to my family and saying, “I’m going to be a tattoo artist,” and quitting the random office job I was working. As an 18 year old Turkish kid, of course, this wasn’t received well. I had to cut off a lot of people from my life, both family and friends. But like I said, everyone has a turning point in their life, and sometimes taking a risk becomes unavoidable. I was going through one of those periods, and I wanted to jump on the train before it passed. So I ordered my first tattoo machine. I’m so glad I took that risk and fought for it. Some people came back into my life, others left for good. Because every choice is a form of letting go.

After I started tattooing at 18, the risks I took were mostly calculated. I don’t remember ever taking a risk without seeing the end of it first. It’s true that I’ve always had a lot of confidence in myself, but I had to. There was already a kind of “me against the world” situation going on. And at that point, the risks I took weren’t anything but bold decisions: changing my circle of friends, dropping out of art school, going back to another art school again, creating a tattoo style that hadn’t been seen before, moving to Berlin, moving to New York… These were big, stressful, but calculated risks for me. And I’m glad I took every one of them.

Of course, these weren’t ”lived” as easily as they’re ”said”, each one came with its own gains and losses. But thanks to these risks, I can now sit here and talk about them on a platform like Shoutout LA. It’s not like I randomly wake up and say, “I’m going to move to Norway” or anything, because I know the weather there isn’t for me! Now that would be a risk I can’t digest…

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been tattooing for 10 years. Since I started very young and hadn’t had any formal art education before, I began drawing first while preparing for fine arts universities. I was initially accepted into the ceramic and glass design department but left in my second year. Then, I got accepted into the painting department and started from scratch. I also kept improving my tattoo technique while expanding my artistic vision through the studies. Around 2019, I developed my own unique tattoo style and the statement of my work which set me apart from others. Since then, being known for my original style and having a certain image form in people’s minds when they hear the word “Nakkab” is a real honor for me. Thanks to this, I am now working worldwide with a visa literally called the “extraordinary artist visa.”

My style, also known as ”sernakkab” is a unique blend of abstract, minimalist approach fused with traditional Turkish marbling art (ebru). Of course, it has been copied many times, both my style and direct designs. Sometimes I feel proud, sometimes frustrated. But this is the least of my challenges. The big one is social media. I’m just not the kind of person to be in front of the camera. Especially Instagram has kind of destroyed us. Outside of meme and hype culture, it’s nearly impossible to show something real. If you’re not the absolute best artist, working with a great videographer and a genius social media manager, it’s very hard to reach even the audience you already have. I see myself somewhere in the middle, so posting pictures of my work is not enough. I wish things were like they used to be, and the people who follow me could actually see my work…

What excites me the most is collaborating with artists and designers from different disciplines. Working with people who share a similar vision but use different mediums is inspiring. I’m looking forward to working with artists I’ve been pen pals with in Los Angeles and New York. It looks like we’ll be doing a lot of work this coming winter.

I want the world to know that my work is a product of my aesthetic sense, my admiration for human anatomy and dynamism. I worked very hard to bring this style to the tattoo world. Back in the early years when my work started to get noticed in Istanbul, I was almost paying people to get tattooed in my own style. It took a huge effort of persuasion and consistency to establish my craft in the tattoo world and reach a level where I could collaborate with world-famous museums, galleries, magazines, and brands. As Nakkab, you can see my respect for authenticity and my determination to bring elegance to the tattoos I create. And I know that everyone who gets tattooed by me values these principles as well.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Of course there is. I have my mom, a few close friends and my girlfriend. My people who tell me the truth without sugarcoating it, share their thoughts and love with me, and always support me. Without the people who had my back during tough times, I wouldn’t have made it through all the risks I took and everything I accomplished, at least not in one piece. I also have to give big shoutout to the people who are fans of my work. Without their encouragement, none of this would be possible to take on.

There are also a few films that hyped me up and completely shifted my perspective on life. I’ve mentioned this in a couple of interviews before; Fight Club. A movie everyone should watch especially before picking a university at 17–18. Everyone takes something different from it of course, but what stuck with me was the importance of freedom concept. It really shaped how I saw things and played a huge role in the decisions I made as the teenage version of myself. Another film is 8 Mile. The whole “every moment is another chance” idea had a deep impact on me about the victory of persistence and resilience.

So yeah, even if they don’t unlock the meaning of life, I fully stand behind any piece of work that gives hope to the hopeless. And yes, as a fine arts graduate, I know some of my friends expect me to say something like a Yorgos Lanthimos film here… but sorry guys, sometimes, it’s not that deep.

Website: nakkabdoesit.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakkabdoesit/?hl=en