Tattoo art has been around for centuries and has been traditionally seen as “badges of honor, wealth, beauty, and bravery.” However, as of today, getting a tattoo can be done for sheer enjoyment, giving one total agency over how they choose to present their body to the world. Tattoo art has become a symbol of one’s individuality and creativity. One particular tattoo artist is known for bringing color and life to her tattoos.
Ivana Belakova
Meet celebrity tattoo artist Ivana Belakova, the first and only woman in the world whose tattoo art is certified as contemporary fine art by the MACRO Museum in Rome, Italy. As a matter of fact, her tattoo art is currently listed in the museum’s catalog.
According to Ivana, being a tattoo artist was unexpected and was actually love at first sight. A friend of hers got a tattoo and asked Ivana if it was something she might possibly like to do. Ivana did her first tattoo and the rest was history. However, despite her great success now, Ivana is a self-taught tattoo artist and admits that she did it the “hard” way, and because of that, it enabled her to create freely without any sort of restrictions and helped her develop her own unique style. When asked how her personal experiences shaped her creativity, she stated that she loves to travel and experience different cultures, as well as learn different styles of tattooing from other cultures.
“My art has always been positively influenced by these profound experiences,” said Ivana.
Even after 24 years of being a tattoo artist, Ivana still strives to grow as an artist. The most recent goal reached was the certification as a contemporary fine art artist by MACRO Museum in Rome. On November 17, 2018, the museum announced Ivana’s acclaim, recognizing her contemporary tattoos for her “funky color and illustrative street style of tattooing.” According to Ivana, critics from around the world gather every year in Rome and collectively decide on what is trending or new within the art scene. In 2018, they decided to consider tattoo art as contemporary fine art and began seeking artists that represent what they’re looking for. Her tattoo art being recognized and certified as contemporary fine art became Ivana’s personal favorite from all her achievements.
Besides being certified as a contemporary fine artist, Ivana also participated and won first place in various prestigious tattoo shows globally, including Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, and Taiwan, to name a few places.
“It’s a nice feeling to be recognized among the world’s best tattoo artists.”
Ivana’s tattoo art is described to have “funky color and illustrative street style” and often depicts animals. According to Ivana, animals are beautiful to start with, and oftentimes, they are already colorful, which she loves. When it comes to creating her designs, she admits that they come naturally depending on what she currently feels or based on her inner state. However, she enjoys creating anything that she considers interesting and whimsical. Her color schemes include very bright colors like lime green, pink, teal, and mint, to name a few. Giving insight into the process, she explains a palm size color tattoo would take around eight hours to complete. However, the overall process depends on the size of the design, skin texture, and the difficulty of the design—and for better quality of the overall design, Ivana prefers to do two sittings to complete the design.
Currently, Ivana is freelancing as an artist all over the world and will be releasing her very first ITA NFT, which is something she is currently excited about. To schedule an appointment or consultation, she recommends her clients send their idea via email at info@ivanatattooart.com, or visit her website at www.ivanatattooart.com and go to her contact page. She also encourages people to follow her social media platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter under IVANA TATTOO ART.
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