Conversation with CIARA HAVISHYA

CIARA HAVISHYA, they/them, lives and works in Vancouver BC

Foto: K.Ho

How would you describe your work?
My work has a few different facets but primarily I work with decorative Indian patterns and adapt them to bodies through tattooing. I also really enjoy botanical blackwork, and illustrative animal pieces. I feel like this variance in my work is important in keeping me feeling balanced and engaged.

How did you come in contact with tattooing? How did you learn?
I taught myself how to tattoo mostly, about three years ago. I was very bad and made a lot of bad tattoos. It was awful. I looked for an apprenticeship but to be honest, my work wasn’t any good and I didn’t deserve one. But I also didn’t know anyone or get any feedback on what I could do better or differently. Now I’m much better at tattooing and I own my shop where I work with 8 other talented tattooers.

Where do you find inspiration for your tattoo art? What makes you happy/curious? Do you work with art in other ways than on skin?
I find inspiration mostly in thinking about my childhood and all the culture and art that I was surrounded by. I had a very traumatic but rich upbringing with Indian art and textiles everywhere, and Buddhist thankas, and Inuit sculptures, and Hindu art and Indian music. I think about the grace and the elegance of my grandmother and her love of jewelry and good saris and I strive for that elegance and weight in the decorations I create for my clients. I find myself most happy and curious when I’m in nature looking at mushrooms and plants and insects and rocks and I find that I need to do that to spiritually and emotionally recharge on a fairly consistent basis.

I’m in love with where the mountains, forests, oceans and wilderness of BC and truly that is my greatest source of comfort and strength as an artist.

I try to illustrate and sketch outside of tattooing but I don’t find myself doing it very well, at least not to the extent of my tattooing. I find skin to be a perfect medium for me, and I find the process to be the most challenging.

Talking bout tattoo culture, What changes would you like to see? In what way can we as tattoo artists make a change?
Tattoo culture is so complicated… queer tattoo culture is also so complicated. I would like to see more critique in tattoo culture and I’d like to see it normalized. I want to see artists in shops actively pushing each other and being honest with feedback to one another, I’d love to see artists with vastly different styles offering critique to others and lending their eyes to an artist for the sake of their growth.

It makes me sad sometimes how unkind people can be in the realm of social justice and tattooing, I think in general we can all benefit from approaching each other with the maximum amount of compassion and respect for one another and our little queer tattoo communities would benefit so much from more of that. We’re all just human beings doing our best.

Ciara Havishya participated in a conversation with other queer tattooers about tattooing, art and how to create safer and lustful places at Queer Art Fest 11+12/5 2019 at Konsthall C in Hökarängen, Stockholm, as well as tattoong at the festival! The conversation was moderated by Samuel Girma.

For info and bookings with Ciara write directly to ciara.havishya@gmail.com!