One afternoon I received a message over IG thanking me for having a page on my website that mentions cultural appropriation in tattooing. I looked at the person's profile and saw that they were a tattoo artist too. This person was Renée Mak. I thanked Renée for her acknowledgement and suggested that we take this conversation onto the Ink Medicine podcast.
It is no secret that the western and predominantly white tattoo industry is still very insistent that tattooing Chinese characters, Japanese body suits, Maori markings, and other Indigenous symbols on a white client's skin is totally fine. Is it? Maybe. Sometimes. In general, not really.
We talk about all of this in great detail.
Renée Mak is a Chinese Canadian queer human, a tattoo artist, a Buddhist, an acrobat and a circus artist, a producer and a writer. The words that come to mind most insistently is that Renée is brilliant and luminous. I could talk to her all day. Enjoy.
Renée can be found on Instagram at @the.magician.tattoos and @disasterclown
Her tattoo studio is @softhearts.studio
I am happy to hear your questions, suggestions, and feedback. Please send Ink Medicine a message.
You can connect with me, Micah Riot, as well as see my tattoo art on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/micahriot/
Micah's website is www.micahriot.com
Find the podcast on that same website as well as everywhere you listen to podcasts.
