ENCHI
Born 1999 / Tattoo Artist, Painter
I met up with artist Enchi Wang, who now lives in Sacramento, when they were bicoastal between California and New York City. Pictures were taken in my buildings stairwell, a zoom interview followed in fall 2023. You can view more of her work on enchiwang.com, or on Instagram @enchi.art and @enchitattoo.
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DVW: How would you describe your tattoo work?
ENCHI: A lot of line work, but not like a single needle. Line work, minimal shading… I do a lot of work inspired by traditional Asian art, also plants and animals.
DVW: Did you always know that you would tattoo professionally?
ENCHI: No. I did not... I actually did not expect to tattoo professionally when I was younger at all. Growing up in Northern California, I didn't see that many tattoos. Also, my mom was really religious, she’d be like, [imitates stern voice], “It’s a sin!” So yeah, it was definitely not something I had in my head, not something I thought I would ever do.
DVW: So then how did you get into tattooing?
ENCHI: Well I always liked drawing, painting. I had gone with my friend to get a tattoo at this guy's home studio, he wasn't working in a shop because of COVID. He showed me the basic sanitary things. I started off just tattooing friends, and shared a space with this other artist. They’d been tattooing for 10 years, so they were like, “I can teach you.” They didn't [outright] teach me anything, though. Everything I learned was from watching. You know, there's no handbook for apprenticing. So that's probably the experience that a lot of people have. Eventually, there was so much interest in my tattoos that I was like, OK, I need to get my own space. I started a shop in San Diego, and I got everything approved. I feel like that was really validating because it was legal, I was legal.
DVW: I know you've done tattoo trades. Can you tell me some more about that?
ENCHI: Yeah, I've done a couple. I haven't done a lot compared to other people that I know. My friend Jesso, for example, their whole body is just little trade here, a little trade there [motions over entire body]. I've also done trades where I've gotten tattoos in exchange for a painting or a mural, like in someone's shop or something. I feel like trading is a big thing in tattoo culture. It's really fun. I've gotten to trade with people whose work I admire a lot, them willing to have my art on their body is just so cool.
DVW: Shifting a bit to the spontaneity of tattoos. The future at times feels uncertain for our generation, I think– do you think that's influenced people feeling a need to get tattoos at a young age?
ENCHI: I think that's just being young in general. When you think about all the people who’ve been tattooed throughout history, younger people probably [comprise] the largest chunk of those people. And I think that's because young people generally have more angst. Tattooing is a quick fix, I guess. You can change something about yourself very quickly. And there’s pain involved, which feels…
DVW: Significant?
ENCHI: Yeah.
DVW: That's a good point. I guess I never factored the pain element [into this project], pain satisfying an urge. Tattoos are by no means harmful, they’re definitely not self harm. But does the pain make a tattoo more significant, or important?
ENCHI: Oh, I think it's a huge part of it. It feels good in the way that, like, something painful feels good. The pain makes it feel permanent, and that's what's nice about it.
DVW: So the permanence of a tattoo is important then. But not because of anything specific to this generation, just because of young angst in general.
ENCHI: Yeah.
DVW: Aside from permanence, then, why do you think Generation Z is getting more tattoos than earlier generations?
ENCHI: I think it has a lot to do with accessibility and acceptance. Social media gives people the option to see what they want to see. There's a lot more people with tattoos in the media than there were in the past, and I think that changes the conversation around tattoos a lot.
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ENCHI: But things are different in other countries. I just came back from Japan, and the culture around tattooing there is really different. There's not that many young people or people in general with tattoos. I’ve traveled some places, and I’ve noticed there’s more tattooed people in major cities than there are in less populated places.
ENCHI: But back to accessibility. I think [Gen Z is getting tattoos] because there’s so many more artists, more styles now. If someone doesn’t resonate with American Traditional or Japanese Traditional [styles], then they can get something totally different. More people can get tattoos in a style they like now, so more people are getting tattoos.
DVW: Yeah, I was looking at things from other side of the needle I guess. You remind me… it’s important to note that tattoos are more accepted in our culture, but also that there's, thus, an increase in tattoo artists, which fuels and enables this generation's desire. A symbiotic relationship.
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DVW: Would you say you prefer tattooing over painting? Or is that comparing apples to oranges?
ENCHI: I love both because I think for me, they fulfill different needs that I have as a human trying to live a meaningful life. Painting for me is very personal, it’s a way for me to express myself. I don’t care as much if other people appreciate it or not. It’s something I do for myself. Tattooing, [on the other hand], is something I can do for other people. It’s a collaboration. I like talking to people, there’s a sense of community; It’s a very different experience.
DVW: Since your style is so clean, I was wondering what you think of “shitty tattoos,” of stick and pokes. You know, you’re the first person I’ve interviewed that didn’t get tattooed, or tattoo themselves DIY-style as a minor. Why do you think that is?
ENCHI: I don’t know, I like them, I think they look cool on some people. But you’re right, I didn’t get my first tattoo until I was 19. I think it has a lot to do with my ethnicity, my background. Both my parents are immigrants from Taiwan, and growing up I was always told, “You have to focus on school. We moved here [for you], what are you going to do?” I was so into art. But to them, it was just a hobby. I was told I needed to be a doctor, or something like that. That was the messaging I got my whole life. I wasn’t allowed to consider it, I was kept on a tight leash, you could say. There’s so much judgment in Asian culture about tattoos. And it's funny, honestly, since the reason I began tattooing is that I really love traditional Chinese brush painting. Traditional Asian art, tattoos inspired by it.
DVW: I think it's a bit ironic, too, that you had all this pressure on you to be a doctor… you’re very successful for someone so young in the art field. It seems like you were destined to be an artist.
ENCHI: It's because I had so much pressure. The only reason [my parents] accept that I'm a tattoo artist is because I make money doing them, because I’m successful. I see it within a lot of my [extended] family too. The younger generation, we’ve really had to emphasize, “Look, I’m supporting myself. I’m respected for this.” Only then will the older generation be like, “Okay, I guess it’s fine.”
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