Photography by Dwam
My name is Zox, I tattoo in Vancouver, BC, and I’ve been tattooing for 10 years come January! My style is illustrative blackwork with stylized subjects. I am inspired by biodiversity, folklore, mythology, pop culture, media, stories and the list could go on!
I was adopted from Russia when I was 4, growing up in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, MB), on Turtle Island (Canada). I’ve been drawing ever since I arrived! When I wasn’t drawing or reading, I was outside climbing trees, crawling in the grass, catching grasshoppers, or sleeping in fields. Deer still walk through the city and I’d see foxes in the distance behind my mother’s house.
Alice in Wonderland was my favourite book and I’ve always been a believer of the impossible, imaging wondrous creatures and worlds. Art and Story were my reprieve in a childhood filled with feelings of loss, loneliness, and emptiness. Creating gave me voice and a way to express my thoughts, emotions, to play, and to self soothe. I always have art to turn to as a way to be with myself and to cultivate something to share with others and the world.
I could not have imagined this is where I’d be from where I started. Growth, healing and progress are non linear. I’m grateful to all the people I’ve tattooed over my career thus far, the friends who have believed in me, and being an artist creating for a softer world.
Kindly