Black Panther tattoo pieces evoke pride for artists
When Black Panther hit theatres, Toronto tattoo artist D.C Nchama saw an opportunity to fill a void, instil a sense of pride and dispel myths in his craft. Inspired by the film’s Afrofuturism esthetic and African cultural motifs, he designed a series of Black Panther tattoos and recently inked one them, of a Dora Milajestyle warrior, on a woman’s inner forearm.
The Funky Ink Tattoo Gallery artist, whose father is a Zulu, of the Ngoni tribes, from Malawi in Africa, hopes such work will bring a much-needed African cultural identity to the tattoo world, and stamp out the stigma that darker skin tones are difficult to ink. Toronto tattoo artist Thomarya (Tee) Fergus says a growing emergence of Black Panther tattoos is part of an awakening when it comes to tattooing darker skin. Elisheba Israel Mrozik, artist/ owner of One Drop Ink Tattoo in Nashville, has some Black Panther pieces on the company Instagram account (@onedropink). She says she’s noticed more African-American clients asking for unique cultural designs. Nchama, Fergus and Mrozik all say they’ve had first-hand experiences with the stigma against tattooing on darker skin. Nchama recalls one artist in a parlour telling him: “I’m a tiny bit racist in the sense that I feel that black skin doesn’t work well for tattooing.” And Mrozik, a native of Memphis, Tenn., who was on the U.S. reality series Ink Master, says the stigma is what prompted her to get into tattooing in the first place. Many of her black friends had “pretty bad” tattoos, largely because of discrimination.