From the Forbidden Tattoos series. In 2017, I travelled to Korean and Japan in search of female tattoo artists from Instagram prepared to talk about making tattoos without a medical license - an illegal act in their countries.

This image photographed in Seoul, in the gritty basement apartment of tattoo artist Holy Night Girl, the main character in Forbidden Tattoos. Sitting atop the kitchen sink, crisp winter's light streaming through the curtains at the back, it was a scene I recall vividly.

The heated concrete floor kept our soles warm. We had just returned from a coffee run past 2pm, but our day had just begun.

Photographed, filmed and edited by me, I knocked on doors, sent many cold DMs, faced many missed appointments where no one showed up. I had no idea where I was going or how this was turning out. But ultimately, I caught some glimpses, understood, and recorded some of them.

Watch the Forbidden Tattoos short film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLkdqptmfng