Hello Mr. Nakkab. Can you first tell us about your education and experiences from yesterday to today, where you have studied, what you have been involved in, and where you have been?
I attended a technical high school. I realized my interest in art a year after graduating from high school. In 2015, I quit my full-time job, bought a tattoo machine, and started preparing for talent exams. In 2016, I enrolled in the Department of Ceramic and Glass Design at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. After receiving some training, I decided that it wasn’t the right fit for me and went back to preparing for talent exams.
In 2018, I got accepted into the Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Marmara University. During this educational period, I became acquainted with contemporary art, printmaking techniques, and many artists around me. Meanwhile, I continued doing tattoos. I had the opportunity to do tattoos in almost every district of Istanbul and some other major cities in Turkey. I received my diploma last July, and now I can be considered a “painter”!
While creating your designs, you have a production process that you call “Sernakkab”. What is Sernakkab?
Sernakkab is a design-tattoo technique that I have been focusing on recently. The tattoos I have done are the tip of the iceberg. Tattoo is the last and shortest stage of this process. My design process is like an adventure and often even therapy for me. I open a free production space for myself by using patterns, various printing techniques and especially the possibilities of the art of marbling. I create original tattoo designs based on human anatomy.
When I started my first experiments, I was thinking that I should give this process a name. While I was reading about traditional Turkish arts, I came across the term “ser nakkaş” in an article written by Alan W. Fisher and Carol Garrett Fisher about the workshops of court painters in the Ottoman Empire. Thus, I started to name my new productions “sernakkab”.
The works you have created by using different techniques together are extremely successful. How and when did you start?
Thank you! The idea first emerged as a final project that I did in the 3rd year of my fine arts education. Thus, I had the opportunity to think about it for a long time, take sketches and do research. I learned that there are local and foreign artists who used to design tattoos with marbling techniques. In order to develop this idea and to relate to new contexts, I made various experiments and eventually developed methods by which I could reveal minimal, organic and conscious lines.
What is your source of inspiration? How has your style developed?
In the surface designs that I have been working on since my first years at the university, my professors drew attention to the concept of dynamism in my works. After realizing this, I consciously started to produce in this direction. I try to add vivid concepts such as flow, branching, speed and sharpness, which we see in nature, to my designs.
In addition, I photograph many things, from pillow tracks to tree shadows. When I need inspiration, I wander around my gallery for a while. At the same time, I feed my visual memory by following artists from different fields. For example, if there is a music clip that I like, I immediately research the production process. I think my style evolves on its own as the output of all these visual data I have acquired.
Sernakkab is attracting more attention in Europe than it does in Turkey. What do you think is the reason for this?
While I don’t believe there’s only one reason for this, I consider authenticity to be the most significant factor. There are people coming from Paris, London, and even Australia to Istanbul saying, “I want a sernakkab.” Even my sketches on the side are found interesting and attract attention from foreign visitors unfamiliar with Turkish culture. I appreciate this because they want to learn more about my work and ask questions.
What do you do other than tattoo?
I have a different relationship with conceptual art. I do projects that come to my mind. I also take notes on projects that I can’t find time for and collect sketches. I look at lots of new works and try to keep my ties strong with contemporary art. I usually collect data by taking pictures and reading. I collaborate with other artists around me.
Getting to know you and discovering your works has been a remarkable thing for us. Thank you! Can we have your last words?
Thank you for taking your time. There is a worldwide renaissance in tattoo art right now and I am very happy to be a part of this era.
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