Interview with Tattooist Artem Iam

32-year-old tattoo artist Artem Korobov Iam works out of a private studio,  in Tel Aviv Israel and creates tattoos in what he describes as a graphic style. We chat to Artem about his unique tattoo pieces and what inspires his abstract work…

How long have you been tattooing? How did you become a tattooer? I work at my private studio in Tel Aviv Israel. I opened this space together with Shiran, my girlfriend who is also a tattooer – our shop is called DUMIYA. I’ve been tattooing around four or five years now. I become a tattooer when I was in Spain, that’s when the idea of tattooing came to me. Before tattooing I worked a lot of different jobs – almost most of them shitty.

What drew you to the world of tattooing? I’ve been drawn into the world of tattooing, mainly because I think the time, place and everything was right and felt right. Everything was exactly how it needed to be! I know that now I have found myself!

How would you describe the tattoo scene in Israel? What sorts of reactions to tattoos get over there? The tattoo scene in Tel Aviv is a little bit better than in the rest of Israel. Because Tel Aviv is the centre, and Israel is not a big country, most of the good artists can be found in Tel Aviv. I don’t really have a lot to say about the scene in Israel but it is good. Everything is moving slowly here, but the clients that are here have open minds which is so good! You can also find some super unique artists here as well. But you can count them on one hand, if you know what I mean.

I love to tattoo in Israel though, it’s my home. From a really young age I grew up in this country, although I was born in Siberia. So I love Israel, when people ask I say I was born here. I also really love my clients, well almost all of them! They are open minded with me, which is great for me as I can do what I love and what I like which is a great thing!

How would you describe your tattooing style? I would call my style graphic Avantgarde. I mix different techniques with some graphic realism, abstract texture or different kinds of elements. Some of these I make on my iPad and some of them I draw, or I make the parts on Photoshop and then mix it altogether to get the design. Sometimes I make some abstract works that are all freehand.

What inspires the pieces you create? Everything is inspiring to me, it could be a sport, a player or fighter. It could be music, good movies, lyrics from songs or writers that I love. Other times it can be the weather or the atmosphere around me – really I think I am inspired by everyone and everything.

Do you admire any other artists and do they influence your work? There are a lot of good artists that I love and that I am inspired by. I travelled around the world for two years meeting loads of good people, whose work I loved as well. My good friends are from Brazil, they’re like my brothers and they inspire me a lot. But also lots of the other places I have been have an affect on my work too.

What do you like to tattoo, and what would you like to do more of? At the moment I like to tattoo women’s faces with a mixture of different emotions. I also like to tattoo abstract stuff, I like to improvise and experiment. Every time I do this I am finding more and more out about myself! I don’t really know what else I want to tattoo, I do want to progress. I’m always looking to make something, new and fresh, or at least try to!