Marcelina Urbanska is a Polish tattoo artist working from Pajęczyna Tattoo, Katowice. Her tattoos are instantly recognisable, often featuring her trademark wide-eyed vamps, rendered in black, red and gold. She has developed an incredible sense of style which hasn’t gone unnoticed by some of her own tattoo heroes – legendary tattooers Bob Roberts and Chris Conn are big fans.
Marcelina talks passionately about her creative interests and has a refreshingly positive view of the current tattoo scene. This week, we take a dive into Marcelina’s world to find out more…
Hi Marcelina! Let’s start at the beginning – how did you discover tattooing?
Man, I wish I could say that my grandfather had a tattoo I’d seen as a kid or a similar story, but unfortunately I wasn’t lucky enough to meet older folks and I’m pretty sure they didn’t have tattoos because of the political situation in the past [in Poland].
My journey started around 2007. I walked into a tattoo studio for the first time, ‘Kult’ in Krakow. I was 15 at the time. Bear in mind that it’s Poland. Tattooing wasn’t big in this country at the time and there weren’t many shops around. And these guys were pretty special, I think one of the first in Poland doing custom designs and they even ended up doing a magazine and convention.
Straight away, I got this gut feeling that this was something for me. I’d visit them on a daily basis, and within two years I knew most of the shops, people in the business and friends. It was a pretty special thing for me. As a kid, my parents would move around the country in search of work opportunities so it was hard for me to sustain friendships. And meeting all these folks and staying in Krakow most years gave me a sense of a second family and purpose. I have been drawing since I can remember and until then I never knew what I wanted to do with my life. It was like a dream that came to me and I’m still making it happen.
How would you describe your style?
Probably the easiest way to describe it would be neo-traditional. I see it as a kinda European thing. Maybe it’s because I fell in love with it at the very beginning, seeing Eckel’s and Lus Lips work back then. But later I went through a phase of understanding and obsessing over Western traditional and the history of tattooing. I don’t consider myself good at it though, so I went back to my roots and mixed it with my personal interests. Before the idea of tattooing, I’d draw a lot of illustrations, I love Polish poster art. And contrast. A lot of it, with everything. But I’m still trying to keep it as simple as possible.
Is there a particular era of tattooing you feel most drawn to? Do you have a favourite piece of classic tattoo flash?
Honestly, as much as I love the past and consider myself as though I’m living in 1969, I love how things are today. Artistically speaking, I like to be surprised. I appreciate seeing the mix and understanding its background. The more people are getting tattooed, the more room there is to see amazing artists emerge and excite and inspire us all. As sublime and powerful as historical flash art is, I find modern work much more exciting. Like how far can you push it within the frames of this particular craft? Picking a favourite flash would be like picking a favourite song! George Burchett, Sutherland Macdonald and Percy Waters come first to mind but I also love Bob Robert’s designs.
Which tattoo artists do you admire? What inspires you most when meeting other tattooers?
Oh there’s too many, I can’t keep up! For sure Chris Conn, Valerie Vargas, Lee Knight, Justin Klegka, Aaron Dubois… and many, many more. Well, meetings have been difficult in recent times. And I have never left Europe in my life. But I’m definitely looking forward to it! Visiting the States and getting tattooed there is definitely on my to do list. And I know it sounds super cliché, but I love meeting other artists who are just normal, good people. I have to say one of my biggest inspirations are professional, sober types, hard working but not too hard.
And ones that find time to cook their food?! And take care of themselves?! I find tattoo talk very boring. It almost becomes like talking about politics. I’m definitely lucky enough to say I’ve crossed paths with more love than hate and I’d like to keep it that way. Sometimes weird, small things inspire me. I know it sounds creepy but I love discovering people’s handwriting, the worse the better, it’s like small automatic art and everybody can do it.
I can tell you’re also inspired by music and this plays a big part in your life. What are you currently listening to? How does this passion translate to your tattooing?
Oh yeah, 100%. I was just thinking today that sometimes I hate tattooing because it takes over so much of my mind that I can’t focus on learning music. Then again, I tell myself that there’s no pressure to do anything, nobody is thinking about it and nobody cares. It’s a very freeing mantra. If anything, the older we get, the better taste we have. So I hope I can produce a banger when I’m 90 and I die. That’s my second dream for sure.
I like to attach certain parts of music in my paintings that fit the narrative. It’s hard to explain but somehow it works. And it pushes me more with the general expression, gives me ideas. I’ve created a few music mixes called ‘Moon Songs’. It’s work in progress for my own entertainment.
At the moment I’m enjoying Erkin Koray, Les Rallizes Denudes, Tones on Tail, The Scientists, The Walker Brothers… Also, Ernest Tubb is saving my mind during the pandemic. I find music so much better than any visual art therefore very inspiring. I’m lucky enough to have customers who let me create what I want to make and it’s always a part of it. Just like music, I take a lot of inspiration from the darker themes which is very true to me today and me as a kid. I find it super important for feeding creativity. I also love to sing during sessions, sorry…
What are your thoughts on the current direction of tattooing, and where do you think the magic of tattooing can be found in today’s world?
Direction wise – no idea! You can never tell where it’s going and that’s what I like about it. Often tattooing crosses paths with modern art, for example minimal tattoos and ‘ignorant style’ tattooing. It’s all just a fashion statement and it flows with its own direction, also dictated by the younger generation. Just like music. Tattooing has always gone its own way and it’s best to let it be. It’s not always perfect but that’s how it is.
Of course, you can create in any direction you find inspiring. Even to destroy. The buffet is full for everyone. Isn’t that interesting? I don’t judge people for getting what they get, I’m stoked that more and more people get tattooed. It’s so, so personal. I find the most magic in simply talking with my customers. It’s such a discrete thing sometimes.
Topics you would never touch on in any other work environments within a few hours. Pain tends to strip you down to the true self. Sometimes it’s all so intense I feel kinda tired because it’s flowing both ways. Sometimes people don’t like to talk and that’s also super fine, I do my work, meanwhile I’m sure they’re on their own journey. The aspect of remembering every tattoo kind of blows my mind. I always strive to give my best for people that come to me and I receive the same thing back. And it’s all engraved in this memory picture. Crazy!
Can you tell us a bit about Pajęczyna Tattoo? What’s the vibe like at the shop?
Honestly, it’s my favourite shop in the world! As much as I love to go and see different places, it is the one that always feels like home and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Every other shop I worked for in the past (besides guest spots) I’d known by day one that it was gonna be a momentary experience. Not with Pajęczyna (‘Spiderweb’ in English). I’ve been working there since the beginning so it definitely feels like my baby. I remember doing my first tattoos there five years ago, there were two chairs, a bed and a station. Now, everything is covered with art and we never lack anything.
Thanks to my boss Bartek Wojda who gives all of himself to it. And everyone involved who left their mark, you can surely feel it. Often people come in and ask if they should take their shoes off, so I guess that is a compliment! We have a private space within a block of flats, so it’s very comfortable and chill. There are two working rooms. Krzysztof Kamyk and myself are the younger part of the team but we get called ‘olds’ constantly because of our ways!
The other room belongs to Bartek Wojda and Pawel Tacki who, well… Listen to Polish trap and wear teenage fashions. We are truly a yin yang, haha! But to sum it all up, the usual day is me crying laughing at least two or three times. It’s important to me to be approachable to everyone. Just open enough to at least say ‘hi’ and talk to others. Not just sit in the corner, work, headphones, silence, wrap up and goodbye. It’s fine if you prefer to work this way, but it isn’t my style.
Now that the world is beginning to open up again, will you be travelling for any guest spots or conventions?
Definitely guest spots! So many faces I miss and so many places I long to visit. I’m such a small town girl but I really want to go to the States, finally.
