“I am, at the core, a colourful creative person both in my work and as a person,” says Swasthik Iyengar, an Indian-origin tattoo artist living in Australia. Growing up at the cusp of two distinct cultures, hers has been a journey of self-discovery, finding herself in tattooing and being constantly inspired by her grandmother who was a tattoo artist herself. Borrowing from indigenous tattoo traditions, her work is a celebration of Indian art forms and storytelling and of weaving narratives through motifs on the blank canvas of the skin.
In my all-telling conversation with her, we talk about her grandmother, her tattooing journey, seeking inspiration from Indian tribal art traditions and the many joys of tattooing. A truly fascinating South-Asian artist creating Indian-inspired tattoos all the way across the ocean, she revels in the beauty of needlework, a true love for the arts and how tattooing weaves it all together.
Where It All Began
I was born and raised in Chennai and I was in Kerala and Varanasi till I was 10. My family then migrated to Australia, where they did the best they could, as immigrant parents with very low incomes, to give me a better way of life. Every year, we made sure we flew back to India at least once a year to visit all my relatives and pay respect to my elders. While I followed an academic route in my early 20s, my interest in getting tattooed and enjoying the autonomy it offered, made me take the plunge into pursuing my own journey of becoming a tattooist.
I struggled a lot to ‘fit in’ in the Western world. It was a hard battle to conform to the rules of traditional Indian parents as well as have the freedom I so often saw other people have. As such, I felt more connected to people that were immersed in alternative subcultures and were also subsequently tattooed. I am, at the core, a colourful creative person both in my work and as a person, so I started to get tattooed in my early 20s, which then propelled my love for tattooing. Once I started a traditional tattoo apprenticeship, my love for our Indian culture, the mother Ganges, Vedic stories, medicine healing and traditional tattooing allowed me to explore concepts, arts, and tribal tattoos pertaining specifically to Indian culture in my own application and execution of work.
On Inspiring Grandmother, Kolam Art, Folklore & Female Tattooing Traditions of South India
My grandmother is an amazing, fierce, and brave woman from her time. She wasn’t just a tattoo artist, she was also the head honcho of the household. We are from South India and kolam is widely celebrated in South India.
What is Kolam?
Kolam patterns are planetary-based geometric and mathematical line drawings physically drawn on the ground (earth mother) with rice flour or grounded natural seeds. Each kolam is formulated around a matrix of dots whereby folklore mandates that all lines must be connected to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the shapes. This prevents the spirits from entering the land, village, hut, or temple where the kolam pattern exists. Kolam is also drawn to trap in good energy flow like Maha Lakshmi so as to keep that good energy and bring prosperity into ones home.
Why then did South Indian Women like my grandmother tattoo kolam patterns on their skin?
Kolam tattoos were traditionally tattooed by sacred stick and poke instruments known as ‘mungurah’ onto people’s skin by female tattooers called pachai kuthuthu amma or medicine healers to protect family members from evil spirits and disease from entering their bodies; particularly diseases such as cancers that cause stress and pain to the body. Only women and medicine healers were allowed to tattoo this because it was believed that since women were mothers, they had the magic touch of empathy and love that surpassed the control of any evil spirit or disease. Medicine healers were trusted to tattoo kolam patterns and their hands held the power to cure illness.
On Her Grandmother’s Tattooing Legacy & Tattoo Industry Opening Up To Women
Given the rich history India has of strong women marking people with sacred tattoos, I feel my grandmother’s work and wisdom have given me the courage to tattoo traditional designs close to my heart onto people. I absolutely believe the industry has opened to women more now. There are so many incredible tattoo artists of all different backgrounds, identifying how they like to be identified, and celebrating their art, and it is so nice to see this diversity and colour come into the industry. Tattooing is beautiful and special. I think among all tattooers, it’s our love for the craft that connects us. It’s beautiful that people from different walks of life, upbringings and backgrounds come together to create work that inspires everyone.
A Celebration Of Indian Artforms And Storytelling
My core work is a celebration of Indian art forms and storytelling. Growing up in India (even to this day) my elders and family members would teach me about Hindu Gods/Vedic stories as we travelled on the road from temple to temple. As such, from a very young age, I was captivated by the stories our rich culture had to offer. Whether the stories were folk stories pertaining to specific villages or Hindu stories of Gods in temples, I love this notion of imagery having a meaning or telling a story and inviting people on a journey. Part of being a tattooer is to constantly research and study concepts. Furthermore, one may need to study where historical art stems from.
For instance, I am deeply inspired by Madhubani Art — a style of painting practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. The paintings primarily depict nature and Hindu mythological figures through motifs like fish, birds, religious plants, and animals. After studying this, I was able to have a deeper understanding of this particular artform, which then helps me create my own Madhubani-inspired paintings by depicting my own representation of animals and Gods. I think we are very fortunate that our rich culture has a vast array of stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. It allows me to have respect for our culture and share a type of storytelling with other people through my paintings and tattoos.
On Borrowing From Indigenous Art
I honour, respect and acknowledge the people of our first nation. Through studying their art and tattoos, I am able to create my own take on tattooing sacred symbols and imagery based on our culture. I acknowledge and respect that in different regions of India, beautiful tribes and sacred tattooing practices exist pertaining to the people of that region. I love tattooing and I love Indian culture and through this celebration, I am lucky enough to be able to tattoo beautiful people who have given me the honour of permanently marking their skin. Without my wonderful clients and the elders who have paved the way for us, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.
A Day In The Studio With Swasthik
A day in the studio usually looks like getting to work at around 8 AM and setting up for the day. My drawings for that tattoo are usually done the week before. I like to welcome and connect with my clients that are booked in for the day. I show them the design and we start the process of tattooing. Tattooing is when I am the most happiest because you share such a powerful and intimate experience with the client. I love hearing their stories and also sharing mine. After the tattoo is done, I wish my clients the best and hope to see them again.
The Most Joyous Part Of Tattooing
The most joyous part of tattooing is the experience shared with the beautiful people I am lucky enough to tattoo. The power of permeance, the deep connection with the people one has the honour of marking, the stories shared, the healing, the body transformation and the artistic freedom one has.
Checkout Swasthik’s work here.
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