Her work brings back emotions, experiences and all her personal passions, drawing and art first. Persian by origin, having fled as a young girl because of the war that invaded her country, Ela Pour lives in Germany, in Berlin, where she opened her studio, the Pechschwarz, pitch black, a name that also identifies her work very well.
Hi Ela let’s start with you introducing yourself to our readers!
Hi, I’m Ela, I’m Persian and I work in my own shop Pechschwarz, located in Berlin, Germany. And I’ve been tattooing for longer than most of the readers have been alive for, 27 years!
How was your life before you became a tattoo artist?
I got into tattoos through music, and during school I found myself in the metal scene. It was a big part of my life and still is. At the time I was very active in the scene, touring and playing guitar.
One thing led to the other and I found myself tattooing, having always approached drawing in my personal life.
Your style is very close to graphic illustration: black lines only, intense or light to create details. Will you tell me more about it?
I would describe my work as a balance of obscurity and beauty, which is a general view I treasure in life and you can find both in nature which is an important element I incorporate.
Where does the dark vein come from?
As I was forced to flee from war at only 14, I was left with enough darkness to draw from.
It seems to me that one of the recurring subjects are the faces of maidens with spirited eyes and a funereal mood that envelops them. Is that so?
I wouldn’t narrowed it down to just that but more so to the opposing themes I talked earlier about, leaving the emotions that they evoke to the viewers eye.
What subjects do you love most and where do you get inspiration for your subjects from?
I would probably say music, nature and Hell.
Do you also paint? Is it a hobby or an important part of your work?
It’s not only an important part of my work it’s definitely a defining aspect of my life, that also brought me to study Art at the university of Weisensee.
To close our chat, would you like to tell us something about some projects you are working on or something you want to do in the next future? What do you like to do in your free time and who is Ela Pour beside the tattoo artist we know?
There is a lot of on going and many future projects I’m working on, that will be announced when the time is right. They go from art related exhibitions to implementing and developing my shop on a daily basis.
My favorite future project I invest big parts of my energy into are my two beautiful kids I love deeply and take care of every day.
