Burcu Erim

Born in Istanbul in 1991, Burcu studied Fashion Design and spent five years working as a freelance fashion editor and stylist. Color, pattern and unexpected combinations were always a big part of her world — and eventually followed her from clothes onto skin.

After living in the US for two and a half years and experiencing different cultures and visual languages, she began questioning whether fashion was still enough for the way she wanted to express herself. Having practiced collage since university, she was already drawn to taking familiar things and putting them back together differently. Tattooing felt like a natural next step — with the added meaning of creating something that becomes part of someone.

Seven years into tattooing, that same instinct still shapes her work. Rather than reproducing what she sees exactly as it is, she is interested in what happens when it passes through her own visual language. Her tattoos move between illustrative and abstract, bringing together color, expressive lines and playful details. Her ongoing abstract drawing practice also feeds into this process, keeping room for experimentation and spontaneity.

For Burcu, tattooing is less about settling into one visual formula and more about staying curious, playful and open to where the work goes next.