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| Tattooist Kim Dong-hwa works on flower tattoos. Courtesy of Kim Dong-hwa |
By Kang Seung-woo
In modern Korea, tattoos had been stigmatized until recent years as associated with gangsters.
However, for Kim Dong-hwa, a tattoo artist who is known for her colorful flower tattoos, tattooing is another type of drawing that uses a "different canvas," while offering precious memories to someone.
"I hope that people see tattooing as drawing on the human body instead of drawing on paper, rather than something related to organized crime," Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times at her workplace in Yeonnam-dong, western Seoul, Tuesday.
"When I began this job in 2017… my parents strongly disagreed with me working as a tattooist and I could continue this work only after promising to quit immediately if something bad happens."
To her relief, tattoos have been increasingly accepted as a form of self-expression as time has gone by, with more ordinary people getting tattooed ― despite not fully curbing the negative feelings about them among some.
"In the past, those who were in their mid-20s and 30s were the main clients, but the age group is getting lower to early 20-somethings," Kim said, adding that there is no age limit for tattooing, but tattoo artists tacitly agree not to inscribe tattoos on minors.
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| A gladiolus tattoo / Courtesy of Kim Dong-hwa |
"In the beginning, I drew everything clients requested, from bold letters to a huge whale to an astronaut. However, as time passed, I wanted to create my own identity as a tattoo artist and my works about flowers posted on Instagram drew rave reviews from clients, so I have since dealt with flower tattoos," Kim said.
Her flower tattoos show off colorful images that are typically no bigger than a few inches but full of incredible detail.
"When I was younger, I liked drawing small creatures in detail, which has influenced my current job," Kim said.
According to Kim, she recently gave a gladiolus tattoo to a woman of foreign nationality, who almost shed tears after the inscription was completed.
"At first, I thought she was crying from the pain, but later she explained that her late mother loved gladiolus, so she got a tattoo of the flower to remember her mother," Kim said.
Kim added that nowadays tattoos serve as a means to commemorate something.
"Currently, people get tattoos to celebrate special events or memorialize loved family members or partners," she said, adding that she wants to continue making meaningful tattoos for others.
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