When you think traditional Japanese tattoo in Australia, you think Kian ‘Horisumi’ Forreal. Based in Sydney, Kian has been tattooing worldwide for more than two decades and in the Japanese style for the last 10 years. He’ll be in Newcastle on Sunday 23 April as part of the Perseverance Japanese Tattoo exhibition at Newcastle Museum. He’ll be discussing his practice, introducing some of the tools and techniques of his trade, and conducting a live tattooing demo.
We caught up with Kian to find out more about his work, ask him a few question and to see if we could sneak in for a cheeky sitting while he was in town.
NL: Hi Kian, thanks for spending some time with Newcastle lie. What drew you to Japanese tattoo?
KIAN: I was always drawn to Japanese tattoos because of their powerful imagery and amazing history and just the whole centuries old tradition of large tattooing, for me it was the only style.
NL: We read that you make your own pigments. Why?
Yes I make my own pigments from powder and mix them to my specifications, I do this for a few reasons, firstly so that I have a better connection with my tools and supplies, I know whats in it, where it came from and how it is going to behave in the skin. It give me more control over my creative process. Secondly I like the idea of having as much of what I use as possible made by hand in the old traditional ways… connects me to the past.
NL: In your own work, how do you remain contemporary whilst honouring the traditions of Japanese Tattoo?
In my own works I try to stay true to the past and the traditional way of composition and drawings whilst adding my own subtle style and nuances to the work. I try to create classic work that isn’t trendy or relies on gimmicks or fads. My work will never be dated or be out of fashion because it is true to the old ways while still standing out from the crowd with its distinct look. I accomplish this by spending a lot of time studying the old masters of Japan and trying to glean that same feel that made Hokusai and Kuniyoshi as classic as they are… I’m still studying and still a student of the arts…
NL: Is there anything you wont tattoo (design or part of the body), and why?
I really only tattoo traditional Japanese style tattoos for the past 10 years so outside of this I generally pass it on to one the talented artists at my shop Authentink Studio. I don’t tattoo faces, necks or hands except in extraordinary circumstances where the client is already 100% covered elsewhere. I have a moral obligation not to mark peoples publicly visible skin.
NL: Tell us about the tools you use, and why you’ve chosen them…
I am a wabori artist which means I tattoo with machines and not by hand. So I use both magnetic machines and electric machines so create my work, most of my machines I have rebuilt or tuned myself as I am very specific about what I use… other than that I make most of my own tattoo needles by hand and keep it as simple as possible with my equipment.
NL: Do designs inked tebori style end up looking different from those inked with contemporary tattoo equipment?
Yes they can do, tebori style tattoos are deeper in the skin and therefor have a different look than most machine based works, that said, the way I use my machines is a bit different than most and my work does look rather tebori once it heals, the pigment I use has a lot to do with that.
NL: Any chance we can get an appointment for a tattoo when you’re in Newcastle.
Sorry, just doing a demonstration! You are more than welcome to come visit us here in Sydney and get tattooed at Authentink Studio!
NL: What style of music are you into and what tunes are in your current playlist ( you’re more than welcome to link us to a Spotify playlist that you already have)
These days I leave the music to the shop manager to choose and I don’t request much, there are 8-10 of us tattooing most days so its hard to appeal to everyone hence I stay out of it…. I myself enjoy old techno, classic rock, Black Sabbath and the like and a bit of older hip hop!
The Perseverance Japanese Tattoo exhibition is currently on show at the Newcastle Museum.
