Moksha Tattoo, the Austrian place for all peaceful people who love artistic tattoos

We would like to introduce you to an all-female team, very interesting for the varied work they offer, united by a professional attitude of great openness towards their customers and care and attention to the personalised requests they receive.

We are in the middle of nature, in Hallein, in Salzburg, an Austrian municipality where Isa, Darja and Ronja work as team residents at the Moksha Tattoo shop. The name itself identifies the studio as a quiet place where creativity flows pleasantly in an atmosphere of great serenity in contact with nature. Let’s get to know them better and find out more about this tattoo shop ¬ founded in 2020 together with another tattoo artist, Penny, now living in Alaska – and also featured in the recently published 2023-2024 edition of Tätowierer Jahrbuch.

In Hinduism “Moksha” is the liberation of the painful life and death. The last goal of the human being is to liberate himself from the strong binding and identification of the ego. No question, without ego we wouldn’t achieve as much as we do, but it’s also said that it finds lots of its roots in the negative and prejudices.

The name of the studio reveals already the character of your tattoo shop, don’t you agree girls?
Moksha Tattoo Gallery serves as a free space, where creativity can flow freely and art may be created – Isa says – a collective of various artists is working together to make this studio a space where one can learn and flourish from each other, respect and care is shown and everyone may bring his own talent and “gifts” to create a bigger picture that is constantly evolving, moving and growing towards the positive side of life.

Who opened the studio?
It was Penny, who founded the studio with us as artists in 2020, she is now living in Alaska and coming sometimes for a visit. Ronja, Darja and me are taking the studio over, moving it to a new location in the middle of nature, next to a tiny river, to create a warm, welcoming and friendly space which is dedicated to creating art and individual projects with time and care. Each of us attended arts school and we try to put that learning into our work.

Isa, let’s start from you! Would you like to tell us something about your background and your style so spiritual and full of meaning?
I originally learned tattooing in India and also spent some time there. Originally travelling there for yoga I occasionally met Suraj, a tattoo artist from Nepal who offered me his hand in learning the craft of spiritual tattooing. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful art that could be seen especially given that every single piece was hand-drawn.

What I experienced there and am now trying to keep in my work is that each tattoo was treated as a special treasure, the process taken very seriously and the design created with care. I came in touch with spirituality and the healthy life style that comes with it and that’s what I want to show with my art and the tattoos that I am creating together and for my clients.

My style is very much influenced by nature and patterns, a combination that’s surrounding us and should serve as a little reminder of the beauty that we are living in.

I spent my last years working in Berlin and guesting at Moksha, have moved here a few months ago and decided to move the studio forward together with the girls. It’s gonna be really nice.

With our art: I am more drawn towards the beautiful and living things, that are surrounding us, whereas the other 2 sometimes also want to put the focus on the things that are not really working out in our society or are the cause for pain and harm. We are very similar when it comes to conscious behaviour with each other, nature and animals, while the visual appearance of our work is very different and attracts clients that differ from each other.

Darja, it’s your turn! Would you like to tell us how you arrived at Moksha?
I was looking for an apprenticeship and found out about Moksha through a friend. After looking at their Instagram profile, I was amazed by the variety of styles. So I gave it a go and sent in my portfolio – and was accepted! I immediately moved from Vienna to Salzburg to join the team. Actually, between my Japanology studies I only did part-time jobs at libraries and internships in graphic design agencies. So it’s the first time I work full-time.

You seem to be interested in drawing comics. What kind of stories do you like to tell with your drawings?
I think there are two themes that run through my work. On the one hand, cozy, peaceful images, with a slight hint of sadness. On the other hand, I try to portray my inner rage. The anger when I see everyday inequality and the suffering that comes with it. So some of my paintings are a bit bleak, bloody and unsettling. It helps me to get rid of negative feelings and move on. Maybe it can help others too, or at least they don’t have to feel alone.

How can you describe your style and tattoos to our readers?
My style is very illustrative, influenced by Japanese culture, pop culture, art nouveau, floral and fantasy themes. Since I love the colour red, I try to use it in most of my wannabes and custom designs. However, I want to try many more styles, get out of my comfort zone and adapt newly learned techniques to intensify my unique signature.

What are your favorite subjects?
There are many, but if I had to choose: Japan in all its facets. I love tattooing pop culture themes, like Ghibli characters. I’m also fascinated by Japanese yōkai and mythical creatures. I like it even more, because I feel connected to my clients who share this deep love for the same subject.

Did you attend an art school? How did you learn to tattoo?
I learnt it all from the Moksha team! Yes, I attended the Higher Technical College for Graphic and Communication Design in Linz. I realized relatively quickly that I was more on the crafty and illustrative side of design. My favourite subjects were planography, relief and screen printing, as well as all the illustrative subjects. Tattooing is actually the first job I can imagine doing for my whole life.

Ronja where are you from?
I’m from a small mountain valley in Austria, very touristy so there I grew up in a bed and breakfast run by my family. It’s a great place if you’re into Winter sports, hiking and the cold. Unfortunately none of these things ever appealed to me so 4 months after I finished my Highschool diploma I moved to Salzburg and started my Tattoo apprenticeship. Yes, I’m one of the lucky ones who immediately found a shop willing to take them in.

Why the nick name Mephistophelia?
When I was a Teenager I really loved reading “Faust, a Tragedy” there’s this demon Character called Mephistopheles. In a further sense he represents the force that keeps humans going. Kind of like “no mud no lotus” but make it mysterious. It felt like the name represents what I do quite nicely.

You do all kind of stuff and you can draw everything, is it right?
I wouldn’t say everything but I try not to limit myself to one specific scheme. I love combining different styles, different textures and so on. Limitation is the artist’s biggest threat so I try to explore as many things as possible to keep improving my skills. Also I get bored very easily so having more than one specific way to tattoo or design keeps my brain satisfied

What are you favorite subjects?
I love everything obscure and twisty. The beauty in darkness, the serenity of suffering, no growth without tears kind of mentality. I love translating scenes of different mythologies and Folklore into my style. And most importantly I am down for everything weird. A fish with legs? Sure let’s make it do something stupid.

When did you join the Moksha team?
I joined in October 2021. After 4 years in Salzburg I felt the need for a little change to grow as an artist. With moksha I immediately felt home and inspired. Here it’s less about hustling and more about creating and taking your time to connect with your customers. It’s just wholesome and doesn’t feel like work at all.

Thank you very much girls! We will come to visit you again soon!