ABOUT ME
With tattoos, ink becomes a promise, a way of putting down roots, of redesigning ourselves, and the skin becomes a place of memory, of projection, in the weaving of our histories.
ABOUT ME
I’ve always been fascinated by images, and I studied cinema, but the different subcultures I grew up in led me to seek out an artistic practice that could break down the boundaries between reality and the possible, a practice that would allow each person’s visions of their own body to be realised. Tattooing thus becomes a practice of therapeutic modification of the body.
The body is the witness to everything we experience, and tattooing is a means of creating memory. Through tattooing, I see myself as a craftswoman who can help create the story of each person who comes to see me.
So the process is very important to me, both before and during the tattoo, the question of consent is crucial in a practice that involves the body, and taking care of this process allows me to build trust with each person.
THE STORY BEHIND
MY NAME
A lot of people tell me that Bezkrovny isn’t a name that sells very well, because nobody remembers how to spell it… But it has a history that I don’t want to forget.
Olga Bezkrovny was my grandmother, she emigrated from Russia in 1919. She was a small, dignified woman whose body had lived through more than nine decades (including a revolution and two wars) and yet she had the softest skin in the world. Bezkrovny could be translated as “he or she who has no home”. My mother is the only one in my family who still speaks Russian and I didn’t want to lose that part of my history. That’s where my tattoo artist name Bezkrovny comes from, from tenderness and memory.
Inspiration
Drawing is a moment of respite, of silence in the face of a world that can be very harsh. That’s why I like drawing plants. I started out doing a lot of botany and then moved on to ornamental drawing to enjoy a bit more freedom of movement, to better adapt each project to the anatomy of the body. I work with fine lines and whipe shading because I love detail.
From time to time, I’m asked to do abstract work and I really enjoy that. It’s a process that teaches me to let go, to look for flexibility in representations.
There are thousands of techniques in tattooing and I’m very curious about some of them. I always set myself a goal: to master one technique (which can take years), then learn a new one. One at a time. But several.
WHAT MORE ?
I grew up in Paris, surrounded by hip-hop culture, graffiti and a bit of rock. Surrounded by pictorial practices that seek to reappropriate private and public space, to embellish it.
I’ve lived in a lot of re-signified spaces, organised LGTBQI+ collective events for a decade, and moved around a lot. Beyond art, what interests me are the political issues that are shaking up the world and the problems that can be found in today’s tattoo industry.
