Today we’d like to introduce you to Serenay Akçiçek.
Hi serenay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, my name is Serenay Akçiçek, though many people know me through my Instagram account, @serenayakcicekx. I am a tattoo artist working primarily in microrealism and avant-garde styles, and I have been professionally involved in the tattoo industry for more than six and a half years.
My artistic journey actually began long before tattooing. I studied architecture, but even before university, drawing had always been my way of communicating with the emotions and thoughts I could not easily express with words. Art became my language.
I could have chosen many different creative paths, but when I discovered tattooing, I immediately felt that it was something I was meant to do. For me, tattooing was never simply about creating images on skin. It was about connecting with people and translating their emotions, memories, and stories into something permanent.
The possibility of touching someone’s life through my own imagination felt like an invaluable gift. Every person who sits in my chair brings a different story, and every story changes me as an artist. This constant exchange of emotions, experiences, and perspectives is what continues to inspire my work.
I have always believed that tattooing is a living art form. It grows together with the artist and with the people who trust them. Love, loss, hope, success, memories, inner voices, and personal transformations all become part of the work. Through my subconscious, my creativity, and my tattoo machine, I try to give these emotions a visual form.
Today, my goal remains the same as it was when I first started: to continue touching people’s lives through art and to create meaningful pieces that people can carry with them forever.
If you are curious about my world and my artistic journey, I would be honored to share it with you.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
You face many challenges in this industry, but I believe success comes from the willingness to overcome them. Like in every profession, if you truly love what you do, you have to learn how to fight for it and continue growing despite the difficulties.
As women in the tattoo industry, we still encounter many obstacles. There are prejudices that continue to exist, and in many places around the world we are still trying to break the stereotype that tattoo artists are not real artists. As female tattoo artists, we constantly strive to show that we are artists just like any other—that we use our work to express emotions, thoughts, and human experiences.
For me, tattooing has always been much more than applying ink to skin. It is a form of artistic expression and storytelling. Through our work, we reveal feelings, memories, hopes, and personal experiences, just as painters, sculptors, musicians, or writers do.
Although progress has been made, the effort to gain equal recognition and to challenge these prejudices still continues today.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I began developing my artistic style through inspiration from Kintsugi, the traditional Japanese art form that embraces imperfection and teaches that even within something seemingly perfect, there are cracks and flaws that deserve to be acknowledged rather than hidden. While I do not strictly follow the traditional philosophy of Kintsugi, it has become an important source of inspiration in my work.
I try to create artworks where the contrast between blue and gold comes together in harmony, offering a strong visual experience while blending with my avant-garde approach. The relationship between these colors has become one of the most recognizable elements of my artistic language.
What I am most proud of about myself is my willingness to constantly try new things, to accept failure, and to learn from it. I am not afraid of making mistakes, because every challenge teaches me something valuable. Looking back, I can always see that I have become a better version of myself than I was before.
Perhaps the most distinctive aspect that separates me from other artists is my desire to build a genuine connection with the person sitting in front of me. I try to reach their inner world, understand their emotions and experiences, and approach their ideas with empathy. For me, creating a tattoo is not only about making art—it is about understanding a person and transforming their story into something meaningful and lasting.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
This journey will never be linear. There will be moments when you succeed, and there will also be moments when you fail. But never allow failure to take away your passion or your motivation. Keep going, because progress comes through persistence. If you continue, opportunities will eventually come. The most important thing is to truly want it and to keep moving forward.
Observe every detail of the artists you admire, even the smallest things they do. It is not only about the materials they use or the techniques they apply. Being a tattoo artist is not simply about making tattoos; it is about sharing your own world with other people.
Today, tattooing includes many different disciplines beyond the art itself. Advertising, videography, social media management, branding, and building a personal identity have become essential parts of being an artist. Try to understand and analyze these areas as deeply as possible, because they are all connected to how you present your art and communicate your vision to the world.
Pricing:
- design
- size
- replacement
- color
- hours
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