Tattoo Artist Profile: Roni Zulu

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Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah and Debra Wilson are already flaunting their skins with ink work done by Roni Zulu. The LA based tattoo artist and the man behind Zulu Tattoo is able to penetrate and see the image on the skin much before it’s actually done. For him it’s a ritual, a passion, a sacred and sublime journey; painful and invigorating, but he wants to carry on and on. Zulu specializes in custom and tribal work. He was also voted Best Tattoo Artist by LA Weekly.

Roni’s parlor is more of a pilgrimage. He offers regular prayers for himself, his clients and of course for the art.

“I identify myself as an urban shaman,” he says. “I’m a tattooist, but people come to me for more than just getting tattooed. They’re coming to me for spiritual reasons. People are coming to me to get spiritual markings.”

He has a different approach towards to his work.

“My job is never to put a mark on you – it’s to bring the mark out of you,” he says. In everyone there’s this ancient ancestry, there’s this certain pride that’s in you, and if you dig down, you’ll find what it is.”

He constantly tries to learn from his work and make sure that his talent percolates to the coming generations.

“It is very important for me to be an inspiration,” he says. “If I can make the path a little easier for those that come after me that would feel really good.” “And that’s my job – to help you walk that path, go through that journey and help pull it out.”

Check out Roni Zulu’s gallery

Via: NPR

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