Ria
(@spelldealer)
Ria has been handpoking since early 2022 and completed a year-long apprenticeship in 2023. They are drawn to handpoking as it gives them the opportunity to connect with their roots, meet new people, and nurture a creative ecosystem. In the Philippines, tattoo artists are recognized as healers. Ria sets their intention with this craft as a way to honor those who came before them and to connect with those in the present.
Meet the Artist
Why Tattooing?
Tattooing as an art form in itself is one of the oldest forms of human expression… im interested in people everywhere... i love how tattooing belongs 2 a global story that spans across time/peoples/islands and mountains. it is part of many cultures relationships to the body/land/ancestry/survival. imperialism systematically erased and suppressed tattooing knowledge, n tattoo artists who were often women and elders were criminalized. as a handpoke artist of color today i want to connect with a practice of resistance and honoring wisdom that imperialism attempted to erase. with my own practice, i dont have the full picture and i dont intent to fully recreate what was lost, but to respond to that loss with care.
How do you envision your life in 10 years?
this is something i write about all the time. i’m convinced if i constantly write about where i see myself inmy future, my current reality will eventually align itself to my vision. i want a life that is more rooted and less chaotic. i don’t want a hyperproductive life, i want to center consistency and rhythm. making art and practicing is part of my everyday life as a routine and im creating steadily, not in bursts of urgency (like i feel like i do now). tattooing would still be central to my life, but integrated into a broader practice that includes my other interests like drawing and teaching and painting. i want to continue being part of a community i deeply care about. these relationships will be reciprocal and i feel connected to place. i want to know my surroundings, return to the same landscapes, and allow the world and environment to shape what i make. my creative practice, relationships, and rest feel integrated rather than in conflict. i also would love to share a beautiful home with all my close loved ones. i’ve been accepting i’m actually a bit of a homebody and creating a home together is really important to me.
What do you like listening to while working?
it depends on the day! if i have control of the speaker i love putting on idm, ambient, or experimental music.. the textures and rhythms keep me in the groove of working. i also love when other people have control of the music because i like being exposed to new sounds. sometimes silence.
In which direction do you think tattooing is headed?
honestly i know this doesn’t rly answer the question but i HOPE it heads in a direction where the industry is not mostly white people
Do you have any advice for any emerging artists?
i feel like this is advice i’m still trying to apply in my own life, but i would say to not rush yourself and be patient. there’s no deadlines or milestones to reach and growth is not measured through output or attention. spend a lot of time outside bc mama nature is the original designer and there’s a lot to learn from her. spend time learning how to see, study plants and patterns and movement and observe what you are personally drawn to. don’t strive to achieve a “style” because i feel like that can be limiting at times. your work doesn’t have an end goal where you reach a particular “style” and that’s where you’re at forever. your voice will come by itself and evolve through consistency and care, and not by comparison.