Minimalist Geometric Masterpieces by Emrah Ozhan
By Ross HowertonTattoo Artists
Wonderful illustrative blackwork from a self-taught master of the style.
Istanbul-based visual artist Emrah Ozhan creates amazing geometric illustrative black tattoos with a minimalist touch. He employs a mixture of fine linework, stippling, and other delicate techniques to create impressive and unusual tattoos that are simply breathtaking. In many ways, the exquisite minimalism of his work is misleading. All of his body are is infinitely complex, but it doesn't flaunt it one bit. It's subtle, but the complexity of his pieces becomes more apparent the longer you gaze at them.
Ozhan found his way to tattooing in a rather unconventional fashion. "Circa 2000, sitting at home in Eskisekir a friend of mine said, 'I know how to build a tattoo machine. Let me build you one, and you tattoo me,' which is how I began," he says in an interview with Vogue TV. "This is how I started, otherwise the thought of being a tattoo artist never even crossed my mind." Since he first picked up this homemade machine, he has refined his blackwork tattooing into a signature style. He uses a combination of extremely fine lines and precise dot work to render all sorts of illustrations with complimentary geometric figures. Sometimes he even eschews illustrative imagery and works in complete abstraction, making spectacular sequences of complicated intersecting geometry.
Ozhan is a prolific multidisciplinary artist, but tattooing has a special place in his heart. "For some reason, doing tattoos fulfills me and I really like it," he says. Alongside tattooing, he engages in numerous other projects. His portfolio also includes graphic design as well as fashion illustration, music, collaborations, and other forms of fine art. He worked with some major companies like DC and Red Bull, too. "There are other design disciplines that I want to work on," he says. "In the future, I will work more on my artistic side and scale down tattooing." Though it will make it more difficult to come by his excellent body art, it's encouraging to see how tattooing can serve as a stepping stone for other artistic ambitions through his example.
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If you want to see more of Ozhan's exquisite geometric blackwork creations, make sure to visit his Instagram. He has a rad website where you can see more of his visual art and other projects. If you're interested in getting a tattoo from him, he can be reached at info@ozhanemrah.com for booking.