Write up

When people find themselves most drawn to a place, they imagine the place they choose to be representative of their personality; an essence of the person lingering long after they’ve retreated from their visit. Envision a studio that radiates a sense of belonging, now filling the room with various tattoo equipment and killer vibes, a crescent moon and tattoo gun logo in certain spaces; InkGrave – that’s the dedicated space echoing ‘home’ for Ali Faisal, an SDP junior. You’ll catch a glimpse of his inexorable style and energy scattered around Baithak if you’re lucky.

The time and effort placed into each tattoo, accompanied by the meshing of a client’s vision and artist’s design is what identifies as a special connection for Ali in regard to tattoos. “My most significant memory of InkGrave is sitting late with an artist and working on the design for a tattoo of mine,” Ali recalls, sharing his treasured memory of the place. “It would have to be done the next day cause I’d already gotten two that day. Because of how special my tattoos are to me, and due to the commitment from my artist, and the time she spent working on it, it was a really great memory for me.”

Decked in tattoos himself, Ali shared three words he’d use to describe InkGrave studio: artsy, comforting and black! The supporting artwork was created by taking details from what Ali shared about Inkgrave's studio and the beauty in permanent artwork on skin.

(artwork by Fareeba Ansari)