01 jan Conversation with KAI KNOWFOLLY
KAI SÖDERSTRÖM, they/them and she/her, lives and works in Portland Oregon but I like to travel for work as often as possible.
How would you describe your work?
My work is illustrative-based, and I appreciate the clean linework and saturation of traditional so thats definitely an influence artistically, as well as retro colours and flow… but my take on placements, style, subject matter, etc… is all based in tuning into my clients personal energy, body, and desires while using my own creative perspective to intuitively manifest a mutual vision… often of healing or reclaiming our bodies.
How did you come in contact with tattooing? How did you learn?
I have been drawing on friends and family with pens since I was a little kid, and in high school, eventually my skin drawings became popular and people would pay me real money! Lol, so I guess I consider that the true start of my learning how to work with skin/bodies. I started doing handpoke tattoos in college, and eventually dated someone who gave me my first intro into tattooing with machines. From there its been a process on building my art and teaching myself a lot, but I have been tattooing now full time for almost two years since I moved to Portland. I didn’t want to deal with a traditional apprenticeship, as I only had access to shops that were pretty shitty and white cis male dominated. As a survivor and Queer femme, I found my own way into tattooing without going through those “gatekeepers”, who are profiting off of what is originally an Indigenous art anyways.
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?
Lots of what I do tattooing (and visual art-wise) also focuses on body positivity. And my art of course is always my own take on life at the intersection of being a survivor, Queer/2Spirit, a white/white-passing Ojibwe Swedish Jew, with a focus on re-indigenization and ancestral healing. Tattooing was traditionally used medicinally in Ojibwe communities, and I am trying to reclaim it as a healing practice, so that is the main purpose in my work I would say, and definitely brings me great satisfaction and hope that I am evolving and learning and creating, while also honoring my ancestors and ancestral practices. I also get a lot of inspiration from florals and pattern work from these various parts of my family history. It is also really special continuing to learn and stay curious about the true history of the lands we come from and the people that have come before us. I also paint and draw, and do digital art and illustration, and make music. I honestly love all art forms and just being creative in any and all ways.
Talking about tattoo culture, What changes would you like to see? In what way can we as tattoo artists make a change?
I would love to see more representation in all tattooing, especially when it comes to POC. There is so much gatekeeping and bullshit and white supremacy in how tattooing functions, for the most part, right now, and while its changing, its a slow burn. Queer tattooing has been changing a lot for the better, as a community I think we have shifted the economy of tattooing as a whole, definitely. Although I have realized within the Queer tattooing community, there is still white supremacist/patriarchal/colonized gate keeping going on. I think decolonizing the practice of tattooing, how we honor our client/artist relationships, hold space, and go about the process, as well as maintaining high standards of artistic excellency is really important. Remembering that rebelling against the tattoo patriarchy isn’t an excuse for shitty quality work, but an important route to communicate, educate, and make connections that are not possible with other mediums, and hopefully make positive changes in our communities and the world as a whole. I would also love to see more of an effort to start finding and using more eco-friendly ways to set up and stay sanitary, like hemp based plastic products, and natural products instead of petroleum jelly, etc… I could go on and on about ideas for that…
Kai Söderström Knowfolly guest tattooed at StaDemonia Tattoo Stockholm and 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.
