KNIBBE PALLIUS

Where are you from??
I was born in Stockholm, Sweden but moved around a lot as a kid and ended up in Gothenburg at the age of 15. I then moved to Copenhagen, Denmark for two years and then back to Sweden.

Where do you currently live??
I now live in Gothenburg, but travel as much as I can and hope to travel even more in the future. I haven’t still found any place I feel like home.

What Made you Want to Get your First Tattoo?/When did you first become interested in getting tattooed/Have your thoughts of tattoos/tattooing changed through the years??
When I was a kid maybe around 5 years old I was living outside of Karlskrona Blekinge. Me and my mother were in a candy store and suddenly a Hells Angels member stepped in the store. This was the first time I saw a heavily tattooed man and I thought he looked fucking awesome with all that ink, long hair and beard. I pointed at him and said to my mother -I want to be like him when I get older. My mother who is a police officer wasn’t too fond of that idea but I had already made up my mind that I wanted to cover my whole body with ink. By that time I wanted a Japanese body suit. I guess I saw that in a movie or something. Since I was a kid I always felt like I didn’t really fit in so the thought of covering myself in ink didn’t seem like a strange thing to do. At that time I didn’t know shit about tattoos, only that I wanted them, and a lot of it as well.

Where did you get your first tattoo?
I waited to get tattooed until I was 18, I couldn’t really decide and I didn’t want to get shit tattoos. At that time I had abandoned the thought of Japanese but still I wanted a lot. After that I got tattooed twice a week for about 2 years, I’m still very happy with all my ink but I see body modification as an evolution and even though I love my tattoos, I have now started a second layer of all black tattoos, but I’m not as active as when I was around 20. Now I only get black tattoos from people and friends that I have a great connection with. I don’t really care about the motive I just want ink made from people with great energy 🙂

How did you start tattooing?
I started at home around 5 years ago. I tried to get an apprenticeship but I had to work to pay my bills so the only way for me was to do it myself, I then moved to Copenhagen and started in a shop.

When you are not tattooing, how do you like to spend your free time?
I don’t think we artists have any free time, if you have free time it means you are not focusing and working hard enough. I try to work out at least every day but other than that my whole life is about tattooing and drawing, thats all I can and all I want to do until the day I die.

Who are your artistic influencers?/Mentors?
I try not to look too much at other artists work, of course that’s impossible with instagram and all that, but I get a lot of inspiration especially from dmt and lsd, but now a days I’m more into dmt rather than lsd. I don’t see this as a drug, more a tool. Also I get a lot of inspiration from my traveling, visiting temples and different cultures, and people I meet on the way.

Any heroes?
Hmm heroes– so hard there are so many good artists out there these days. But other than tattoo artists hmmm my mother, she’s always been there for me, supporting me in good and bad times. And also Albert Hoffman 🙂

How has being tattooed affected your life?
Having a lot of tattoos especially in the face makes it impossible to get a normal job in Sweden and thats also one reason why I started, a big fuck off to all government and people who judge you because of the way you look. Like a war painting. But of course it has a much deeper meaning than that, but for me that’s very personal. I think the face and the head is the most sacred spot of the body and I want to be visible for my creators.

What tattoo has the most meaning for you?
Hmm hard… I love them all, I don’t see it as many tattoos, I see it as one big. But I love all my recent work from my very close friend Ajhan Man who’s working at tattoo club in Koh Phangang, Thailand. He is a true master of handpoking and I have got a lot of mantra work from him in the face and he’s also gonna make the rest of my back, but I’m in no hurry 🙂

What are your inspirations inside & outside of tattooing?
Religion is a big inspiration, psychadelics, and sacred geometry. For me all this goes hand in hand.

What tattoo has been your most favorite, unique or unusual (either on you and/or one you have done).
I think I answered that, I will never forget when Man tattooed a mandala on my back with an incorporated swastika, and when we did the buddhist ritual after he chanted and pressed my back with his hand. I felt the energy sooo strong from him into my body and at the same time the sun came out from the clouds and shining so strong at us, almost too strong. We where both shivering from the energies and for me that was a sign because of the swastika representing the power of the sun.

Favorite shops to tattoo at?
Hmm all shops that let me do my thing I guess, and that has a great vibe 🙂

Favorite people to tattoo alongside ?
People with a good heart and good vibes…

Favorite style of tattoos?
I love all tribe related tattoos, blackwork, pattern work, dotwork, all that stuff…

Do you have a “specialty?”
I only focus on tribe related tattoos, mehndi, thai inspired dotwork related stuff 🙂 I love to mix different cultures like viking mixed with thai. Thats my favorite, especially since the vikings sailed to Asia and traded and made friends with asian people.

Best way to set up an appt.?
Email knibbe.pallius@gmail.com

Do you have any favorite places to travel? & Where would you like to go?
I love going to Asia, Buddhism is a very big inspiration in my work and I have a lot of friends over there. I recently went to Nepal and that was also a big creative boost. I will also travel to USA , Milano, Belgium and hopefully UK this year. I just came across a very talented artist named Alex Bawn from UK — I would love to work with, check her out, super talented artist. Next year I would love to go to Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia and India. Those are my top countries to visit for the moment, but I would love to visit all countries I haven’t visited so far.

How do your travels inspire the tattoos you like and like to do?
Traveling is my biggest inspiration and I try to travel outside of Europe every third month. I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to travel as much as I do. I feel truly blessed 🙂 but I work hard and think it’s a result of that. Everyone can do anything they want if you work hard enough and never give up. The only person standing between you and your dreams is yourself. Never forget that. Everything is possible, that’s the beauty with life I think 🙂

What music are you listening to currently?
I listen to a lot of electronic music like psy trance but also dubstep meditation, also some hip-hop, psychadelic rock, and much more, but techno and trance is a big part of my life. I love to go to trance parties especially in warm countries where I can dance all night with bear fieth and feel the ground and the air connecting. I feel one with the universe and I can dance forever 🙂

Last Words?
Hmm be nice to each other, treat every living thing with great respect, work hard for your goals, never give up, enjoy the beauty of life and have fun 🙂 Make love not war and spread love and happiness 🙂

Shout outs?
I want to shout out to the highly skilled artists at Crooked Moon Tattoo in Stockholm — Johan Ankarfyr and Roger Axelsson, also my great friend William aka Pastilliam, my sister Ellika aka Moonchai on instagram — she makes amazing handmade sacred jewelry 🙂 great people with the heart in the right place 🙂 much love to u all

Who should we interview next?
I think my friend William Fjellman aka Pastilliam and my friend Ajhan Man are two hard working artists that both deserve it 🙂

Blessings to u both