Tattoo
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Tamara Santibañez comes to tattooing from self-taught DIY beginnings, going on to gain over seventeen years of experience in New York shops, including the legendary Saved Tattoo. They are a co-founder and worker at the collectively run private studio Flower World. Tamara is author ofCould This Be Magic? Tattooing as Liberation Work (Afterlife 2021) and has contributed writing to Tattoo You: A New Generation of Artists(Phaidon 2024) and Human Marks: Tattooingin Contemporary Art (Hirmer 2025). Their research and practice focus on the intersection of tattooing and the prison industrial complex, recording a range of oral histories on the subject over the past four years.
Santibañez has taught as a volunteer arts instructor in tattoo drawing at Rikers Island and with Rehabilitation Through the Arts at Bedford Hills Correctional. They have worked with the Women’s Prison Associationand Resonance Tulsa to organize tattoo cover-up services for survivors of trafficking and women impacted by the carceral system, and with Personal Ink to cover mastectomy scars for breast cancer survivors. Most recently, they have co-authored a paperwith Scout Silverstein on tattooing’s positive impact on body image within recovery from disordered eating, supported the Rikers Public Memory Project through interviewing and audit editing for their archive, and completed certification as a provider of the NADA five-point ear acupuncture detox protocol pioneered by Dr. Mutulu Shakur and the Lincoln Detox Center.
To book: visit Co:Create or email santibaneztattoo@gmail.com
Tattoos are available by appointment at Flower World, a private studio in Brooklyn, New York. Please email for hourly rates and additional studio information and Covid safety protocols, as well as to inquire about discounted community rate sessions and pro bono tattoo availability.
Informed consent and trauma aware tattooing pamphlet
Written in collaboration with the Women’s Prison Association, this pamphlet resource was developed in response to the needs of clients who are trauma-impacted or survivors of violence. The guide describes ways to integrate informed consent into the tattooing process, practical waysto be mindful of boundaries and communication, and tips for active listening.
Printable PDF avaialble for free download here.
Tamara Santibañez’s “Trauma-Aware Tattooing and Informed Consent” should be mandatory reading for any tattooist working today. This pamphlet lays out the basics of humane practice in client/artist relations in tattoo shops and studios. Using clear, direct language, Santibañez introduces strategies for creating an atmosphere of mutual trust from the moment the client steps into the space.
-Dan Gilsdorf, Atlas Tattoo
Tamara’s pamphlet on Trauma Aware Tattooing has been super helpful. Caring for our clients in mindful and considerate ways allows them to feel safe and held during their tattoo experience that to many can feel intimidating if not triggering. This pamphlet gives language to things that many of us already practice in some form. It reminds us to be conscious and clear with each and every one of our clients. Working in a street shop, the repeated dialogue I have with my clients can become monotonous so it’s important to stay present. The active listening tips are helpful outside of communicating with clients, they’re something I try to bring with me to all of my conversations. This pamphlet is great to have on hand to gift to coworkers and to revisit every so often
-Paige Whitmer, Good Karma Tattoo
Client Bill of Rights Poster
Co-authored with K Lenore Siner, this document outlines the rights and treatment a client shouldbe able to expect during any tattoo experience. Meant for display in shop, private studio, and other tattooing environments, the graphic is available as a printable poster-size PDF for free download.
Tattoo Gallery
