“I don’t think the tattoos that I do are my work alone. Rather, they are the result of a process of creation shared between me and my clients,” muses Korean tattoo artist Won Jinjoo, who goes by Hansan . Having moved to Singapore to pursue her tattoo career, she is the founder of Hansan Studio , which specialises in popular Korean tattoo styles.
Think delicate fine lines, pastel watercolours and vibrant bold frames. Her journey to becoming a tattoo artist, she shares, began after graduating from art college where she studied fine art. “I actually did all kinds of work over the years.
I’ve done murals, and I’ve worked on the art direction team for film, but I really wanted to delve into a deeper study of fine art and drawing. A profession that would allow me to work freely abroad was also very important to me,” she says. “At that point in time, fine line tattoos were very popular in Korea, and this naturally led me to develop an interest in tattooing.
” But despite the huge tattoo scene, tattooing is illegal in South Korea without a medical licence. To continue pursuing her craft, Hansan needed to seek out new opportunities overseas. Thus, Hansan Studio was born.
A cosy space nestled in a shophouse along Amoy Street, the studio is also home to Singapore’s first Korean tattoo academy, a departure from the local industry’s usual practice of taking in apprentices. Through carefully thought-out courses, Hansan Studio Academy equips aspiring artists with the sk.