Jeonghun Seo, 27, artistically referred to as Nobody, is a tattoo artist who started his professional career in 2019. While living and working in Seoul, he held a solo exhibition of his paintings and tattoos and designed an Adidas Superstar sneaker featuring a dragon. As of 2022, Nobody has been working as a full-time tattoo artist at Vism, a studio in Los Angeles’ trendy art district. And for those who don’t know yet, he mentions, “Los Angeles has the largest K-town in the United States. Korean culture is quite popular now and is establishing itself as a genre. I think Korean tattoo art is very influential.”
He is familiar with his fine color dragons, explaining that this is his preferred subject matter as it has universal appeal and mythical qualities. He depicts real animals and flowers, but he is particularly drawn to the symbolism and fun characteristics of the fictional creature: a reptilian body, the ability to breathe fire and levitate. He uses bold pigments for body art and bases his work on East Asian combinations and a more strict use of color. “My signature colors are blue and jade,” which symbolized health, wealth and harmony throughout the Qing Dynasty. No one uses multiple shades over a single one. “When I tattoo blue, I use dark blue, medium blue and sky blue to express that color.” Visual references are no longer necessary for him, as he has done an inordinate number of dragons, claiming, “I always try to create a design that doesn’t exist. It’s more time-consuming, but I’ve worked according to my own principles and developed my style.”
Although Nobody typically does smaller tattoos, he may be available if you’re planning a large-scale fine line project. For example, if you want a full back piece, it may require 5 to 6 sessions.
Photos © Nobody
