Kat von D - Feminist icon
Female icons: Kat von D is recognised globally as a major ink artist in the once predominantly man's world of tattoos. She's also flying the flag for female empowerment and marginalised subcultures, a bit like Frida Kahlo. And she plays piano like Ludwig van Beethoven...
Dear Kat von D,
You ran away from your strict parents when you were 14 to embrace Latino culture, tattoos and rock'n'roll. It paid off - not only because of your forthright nature and your hard work, but also because you have a sense of family and social values. Women with lost sons come to you to be healed through memorial tattoos. You cemented your relationship with your strict mother by giving her a tattoo of a lotus flower on her back, which she is now truly proud of. For this, and also for your global renown as an ink queen... We salute you.
Love Mookychick xxx
Kat von D quotes:
"Hanging out with the punk rock crowd led me to the punk-rock scene, and I'd been drawing since I was a little kid, so tattooing was something that felt natural."
"I remember this lady had got a portrait of her son who had shot himself. When she was done she started crying and I held her. She came to me to help her heal. That's an honour."
"I'm a Beethoven fanatic."
"[ The female ink artists I employ can] tattoo circles around most boys"
Kat von D best known for:
Making her break as the outspoken and talented tattoo artist on Miami Ink
Kat von least known for:
Chilling out by playing the piano, as she has done since she was six. Her favourite artists include Space Station Wagon and Beethoven, which she can genuinely play.
Mooky factor:
Kat von D is a great icon for Mexicanas and marginalised subcultures everywhere. Although not Mexican herself, she's of mixed Argentinian (South American) blood and grew up in a heavily Latino culture. She's embraced her background in her life and work. Her personal inks include tattoo portraits of Mexican actresses - that love of her heritage, along with all the tattoos of ZZ Top and roses, makes us think of the wonderful Frida Kahlo. Kat von D is also a prime example of womanhood in her inking talent, recognised globally even though tattoos are predominantly a man's world (or they used to be. But more women are now expressing themselves through creating, not just receiving, tattoo art. We think that is, in part, due to the success of Kat von D). Also she looks pretty hot.
A short history of Kat von D:
One of the top needle artists in the tattoo world, Kat von D inks celebs and civilians alike in her own TV show, LA Ink (a spin-off from Miami Ink). But we don't care so much about the celebrity tattoos. We're more interested in that she's one of the top female tattoo artists in the world, and in a fine example of female empowerment she likes to hire similarly talented female ink artists in her own tattoo parlour, High Voltage. That's why she's a Mookychick icon of the week.
Von D was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to Argentine parents of Spanish and German descent. She moved to Los Angeles at age 4 and grew up in the Inland Empire in Southern California - with this racial and cultural mix so prevalent in her early life, you can bet she grew up open-minded, independent and curious about life. She credits the prominent Latino culture of Los Angeles as being a major influence in her art and style. Her Argentinian parents were "really strict", she says. "For their daughter to be tattooed, drop out of high school and be rock 'n' roll - they thought I was possessed by Satan". Eventually they accepted her lifestyle, and Kat von D even tattooed a lotus flower on her mother's back. "That was pretty gnarly of her!"
Her own art? Everything from portraits of Mexican actresses Maria Victoria and Elas Aguirre on her shins to roses on her neck and Beethoven on her hip. "I'm a Beethoven fanatic", says Kat von D who has a cat named Ludwig. However, Kat von D's art is more than skin deep. A specialist in photo-realism, she often inks memorials. "I remember this lady had got a portrait of her son who had shot himself. When she was done she started crying and I held her. She came to me to help her heal. That's an honour". This extraordinary tattoo session is not only an example of Kat von D's strong sense of community and family, but is also indicative of the different cultural worlds she straddles as a Latino-embracing Argentinian. There is a South American acceptance of the notion that one publicly greives for the lost, and does not forget. Remember the public demonstrations of grief by the wives and daughters of men missing in Chile, tortured and murdered by the military dictatorship of the time? Those women publicly danced the cueca (the traditional dance of Chile) by themselves, and in such a culture, having a tattoo of your suicidal son is a beautiful rememberance to ensure that neither you nor anyone else forgets.
"Hanging out with the punk rock crowd led me to the punk-rock scene, and I'd been drawing since I was a little kid, so tattooing was something that felt natural". Her first tattoo was a Misfits skull at age 14. In fact, much of her personal inks are music-inspired: Von D has also tattooed herself with the emblems of the bands HIM, Turbonegro, ZZ Top, AC/DC, Slayer, Mike Got Spiked and "Slutallica", a modified Metallica logo.
Kat von D first became well-known in Miami Ink in 2005, but her exuberant personality and outpsoken nature meant she became too big for the show. She moved back to her LA streets and got her own show, LA Ink, featuring her own tattoo parlour, High Voltage Tattoo. It was on LA Ink that she gained the Guiness World Record of most tattoos given by a single person in 24 hours, with a total of 400. And we're willing to bet that she didn't cut corners and that none of them were shoddy, either. Kat von D puts her money and reputation where her mouth is when it comes to female empowerment - her shop often has female tattoo artists in its staff roster including ink queens Kim Saign and Hannah Aitchison who, says von D, can "tattoo circles around most boys".
Even with running a tattoo business and appearing regurlarly on her TV show, Kat von D takes the effort to keep her interests rounded and eclectic. She loves to play with her hairless cat Ludwig, play the piano (see? The love of Beethoven isn't just lip service. Kat von D started playing the piano at around the age of 6, and is particularly fond of Beethoven and Space Station Wagon). She also likes to check out local and unsigned LA bands, and is the creator of the Musink festival - a festival mixing her two heartlines, tattoos and rock 'n' roll.
Kat von D has a book compiling her artworks and tattoos, which was released in January 2009, called High Voltage Tattoo
Kat von D links
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Mookychick believes that climbing trees and riding giant turtles is more fun and girly than worrying about make-up. But if you want to worry about make-up instead of turtles? Fine by us. Be you feminist, kitten, punk, emo, indie, goth, witch, vegan, horror junky, intellectual, christian goth, corset queen, geek, unicorn, sea monkey... be you into alternative style, alternative health, spirituality, comics, manga, j-pop, harajuku or jock culture... we will always love you.
