tomagematoma

Tamara Shatirishvili – In Bloom, In Black

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TAMARA SHATIRISHVILI

TOMAGEMATOMA

"IN BLOOM, IN BLACK"

Cover designed by Marco Michetti @mvrcmatter

In a world where ink meets anatomy and skin becomes an emotional canvas, Tamara Shatirishvili — known as tomagematoma — creates floral compositions that feel like quiet poems made of contrast and harmony.

Balancing academic rigor with the freedom of instinctive gesture, her work reflects a deep aesthetic sensitivity that goes beyond decoration, seeking instead to listen to the body and engage in a dialogue with it.

In this exclusive interview for Tattoodemy, she shares how her style was born, what it really means to tattoo in tune with the body  and why flowers are never just flowers.

PERSONAL

Your flowers seem to whisper stories.
Is there an emotion or a recurring memory
that returns in your compositions?

«

I try to express my perception of the world through flowers, my own interpretation of the “flower of life.” Our lives can be soft and pleasant, like petals, but they can also hurt us like thorns. And the leaves… they are like our souls: beautiful, sometimes imperfect in shape, sometimes marked with small scars left by life.

Stylistically, I like to blend everything that resonates with me. I’m drawn to the elegance of Asian floral forms, which I see as almost canonical, combined with techniques rooted in academic drawing. And I’d love to incorporate more Arabic influences as well, to reflect another layer of visual culture that inspires me.

»

Your style is known for its distinctive floral elegance. What are your main sources of inspiration?

«

At the moment, I’m drawing a lot of inspiration from Japanese compositions in painting. But more broadly, I always approach the human body as a three-dimensional canvas. My goal is to place each design in a way that feels harmonious and fully connected to the person, like the tattoo truly belongs there.

Lately, I’ve been wanting to explore tattooing from a new angle, focusing not just on the image itself, but also on how it flows with anatomy. I’m interested in finding more unusual placements and compositions that still feel natural, but offer something unexpected.

»

LEARN

You attended the Florence Academy of Art, how much of your style today is shaped by discipline and how much by pure creativity?

«

I’ve always been drawn to the academic approach and the old-school way of learning.
I believe you need to understand the fundamentals first — structure, proportion, composition — before you start breaking the rules. That’s why I try to keep those classical principles in mind in my work.

At the same time, I love to experiment with form. I enjoy stylizing shapes, making them imperfect or exaggerated. So, I’d say my style lives somewhere between discipline and intuition, built on a strong foundation, but always open to creative freedom.

»

CREATE

When you draw freehand on the body, it becomes a silent conversation.
How did you learn to trust your hand so deeply?

«

I think it mostly comes from experienceand maybe also from the fact that I was never really afraid to experiment. Drawing directly on the body actually makes
it easier for me to understand the composition and how each element interacts with the form.

Paper is a static, lifeless surface. It can’t give you the same feedback as the body does. When I draw freehand on skin, it feels more natural — like the design is growing exactly where it’s meant to be.

»

LEAD

With your studio in Warsaw and your presence in Paris as a partner of SASHATATTOOING, you’ve become a point of reference for many artists. How do you feel looking back at the milestones you’ve achieved so far?

«

You get used to the good things quickly. I don’t really feel like I’ve done something extraordinary — to me, it feels like a natural progression when you’re fully immersed in what you love.
I’m more fascinated by the journey itself and curious to see where it can take me next.

There’s always room to grow, and that’s what keeps it exciting.

»

Thank you for joining us on this journey

Marco Michetti

Marco Michetti

Founder & Art Director of Tattoodemy

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