MARIE KONRAD
Çağdaş Gümüş
tattoo artist (specialised in geometric dotwork) and
co-owner of Noqta studio in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin
Turkish artist Çağdaş became fascinated by tattoo art when he was in his teens and did his first tattoo with a self-made tattoo machine at 14. Later on, he turned his passion into a profession and ran a successful studio in Cihangir, a trendy neighbourhood in central Istanbul. Since 2020 he mainly practises his art in Germany. He specialises in geometrical patterns and ornaments in dotwork style.*
Together with his partner and fellow tattoo artist Filiz, he just opened up his own studio Noqta in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin. Here, they invite guest artists from different countries, predominantly Turkey, to make their art visible in Germany and to provide a space to share their (post-) migrant perspectives and art.
Çağdaş, who has a new hair style every time I visit the studio, creates his mandala-like tattoos by putting the ink dot by dot into the skin. Both, he and Filiz inspire me constantly with their creative, inclusive and passionate work ethic.
* Self-description borrowed from the studio's website.