Brutal, in-your-face, mixing raw art, biomechanics and industrial motifs, Yonah Krank’s style is just like his creator: wild. A composed chaos representative of the rejection of the norms of the Belgian tattooist from Ghent for whom, tattooing is a formidable tool of individual freedom and personal exploration.
Can we go back a bit to your background, how did you become a tattoo artist? What scene(s) do you come from?
As you probably can see in my work, I like it loud and rough so that’s why the Counter Culture, Free party, Squatting TeKnopunkerz (TeKno with a K, very important) scene is where I come from... Years have been spend partying and playing live sets before huge sound systems. Miles have been made travelling to Teknivals in Europe. This scene also gave me the opportunity to become a tattooer and evolve as one. Many people in this culture are open minded enough to go extreme in all kinds of different subject, including tattooing...so once again, I bless the counter culture. This has already been almost a decade ago though. Nowadays, I don’t consider myself really active in any scenes, not even the tattoo scene. Why? To be counter... What else ?! :)
The aesthetic of your work is violent, with sutures, scratches, tearing, what graphic culture do you feel related to?
Art Brut is something that I thought of very attractive for as long I can remember. Expressive and unpolished. All patterns and motives I tattoo are designed by myself, inspired by everything around me, various artists, and substances...
A very primitive energy brings together the different types of motifs you use. How do you create something artistically satisfying out of an aesthetic of chaos?
Hard question. Always keeping in mind that one thing can be less or more satisfying for one individual than another. It’s very subjective. For me, it’s about a good balance between elements of use... I can understand that my work can give an impression of chaos but I think it’s not really chaotic. It’s composed chaos... Or something like that. I don’t really know... I’m just trying to find a good composition between some pattern work, scratches, a bit of black, of red, some shading here, some dotwork there, not much skin left visible. You know, it’s all about the balance.... And most of all enjoy creating it. That’s were the true satisfaction lays.... For sure the result will show that satisfaction...
Do you have any references or artists to mention?
Yann Brenyak, H.R. Giger, Little Swastika, Gerhard Wiesbeck, Xed Le Head, and many more.
What is a good tattoo in your opinion?
All tattoos are good even the bad ones hahaha.
You recently said in a post : “Remember folks always FTW” (Fuck The World). Rejection of society, life on the margins, does tattooing still represent this despite its democratization??
Yes, always.... Even if tattooing is very democratized it’s still very personal and individual. Rejecting society has worked out well for me, that’s why I promote it. Society in the West as we know it tends to put pressure on people, to do this and that... most of that stuff you don’t really want to do, but you will do them anyway out of fear of... This can be many things. If you have to do the stuff they tell you to do, there isn’t much time left to do the stuff you really want to... For yourself... Tattooing gave me the opportunity to break through society’s rules and expectations, to follow my own path, be my own boss and do what I like for me. Not for someone else who I don’t even know. That’s also why I believe tattooing these days is so popular. More and more people want to be themselves, don’t want to listen to anybody telling them what to do, how to look, to behave. Most people just want to be free and express themselves more, to empower themselves more. Tattooing will always wear a CONTRA signature in my eyes.
What do you personally reject? Politically?
Politics is the most boring word in the universe so I won’t waste any words on that.
Recently you got a face tattoo, how do you feel about it?
Face tattoos I already wear for a while. I wrote a manifest about face tattoos, I’ll just put it in here. “Another drop out, welcome to the free world, captain...” Tattoos like this have so much to offer... They set you free from all the crap you’re surrounded with, giving you more space to live your own life the way you desire to experience it and come with a sense of self-control, self-knowledge and self-respect. If you are the right person for it and you know this decision won’t influence negatively your life, you will gain so much. You will feel more confident and more connected to your true self. You walk this earth as the person you’re supposed to be, the person you really are. Not allowing society’s and other standards to block you in this decision sets you free. It opens doors you didn’t even know existed and more starts to appear... These doors allow the choice to shape yourself and grow.
What tattoos do you wear and from whom?
Too many artists on my body to mention, I’m very grateful for each drop of ink, thanks for the adventure, Thank you too all.
You have friends in the tattoo world, for example Gerhard Wiesback, Shiva 108... to which tattoo tribe do you belong?
It’s a small ever-growing world full of travellers and enthusiasts in the blackwork tattootribe.
Tribal spirit but modern technique. How do you use computers?
For the pattern work. Lot’s of freehand work too.
How is the tattoo scene in Ghent?
It is Big and small at the same time. Ghent is a small city but the folks here like tattoos a lot, so there you go :) + Instagram : @yonah_krank Web : https://yonahkrank.com