I am
Leyla Tunalı

Portrait of Leyla Tunalı

Hi, I’m Leyla.

I am Leyla Tunalı, a Copenhagen-based tattoo artist and multidisciplinary visual creative. A metalhead since childhood and a devoted horror nerd, I specialise in dark, heavy aesthetics and personal tattoos that I create just for you.


What inspires me most is the duality between life and death within organic forms. I’m fascinated by the lifeless transformed through elements that seem alive—human and animal skulls intertwined with bio-organic tentacles, unfamiliar organisms and microscopic living textures. I embrace the macabre and reshape it into something elegant, intricate and strangely alive.


Before tattooing became my profession, my main academic path was philosophy. I graduated with an honours degree in Philosophy in 2023. That intellectual background helped shape both the vision and purpose behind my creative work. Searching for meaning beyond ordinary human experience led me towards existentialism and nihilism—but in a cheerful way. I approach life with playfulness, curiosity and an appreciation for the value of every passing moment.


This contrast is central to both my personality and my work: the art may be brutal, morbid or unsettling, but the experience of creating it together is warm, collaborative and genuinely playful.

How I Design for Your Body

I have been drawing since childhood, giving me a lifelong foundation for constructing imaginary beings, studying organic structures and building dynamic compositions.


The human body is not a flat sheet of paper. That is why I often draw directly on the skin, allowing each composition to develop around your anatomy, movement and natural body flow. Instead of adapting the same design to different people, I create artwork specifically for your unique physique.


When you enter the studio, you are not simply my client—you become my creative companion for the day. Together, we develop the strongest possible artwork for your skin: preferably morbid, slightly horrific and made entirely for you.

My Tattoo Journey

Anders Grucz was the first artist who inspired me to start tattooing. Since then, he has become a dear friend, an important mentor and one of the people I have learned from most throughout my journey.


I began tattooing in 2022 and completed a rigorous, uninterrupted three-year apprenticeship under multiple experienced mentors. This period taught me the discipline, technical fundamentals and responsibility required by the craft. I continue to develop my artistic language while drawing inspiration from artists such as Mr. Dist and David Jorquera, whose technical depth, powerful compositions and approaches to dark imagery strongly resonate with me.


My education has never stopped. I continue studying drawing and painting through personal practice, books and seminars, and my ongoing artistic education includes an intensive drawing and painting foundations course at Florence Art Academy in 2027.

Beyond Tattooing

Alongside tattooing, I work with bands and music organisations as a live concert photographer. Concert photography allows me to capture movement, atmosphere and fleeting moments of raw emotion. The visual intensity of live music naturally crosses into my tattoo work, particularly through my use of contrast, energy and dramatic composition.

I also enjoy creating objects by hand, including custom resin jewellery made with materials I have collected during my travels. Travelling remains an important source of inspiration, which I continue to explore through carefully selected international tattoo guest spots.

As you can probably tell, I love gothic and macabre art, heavy riffs and dark clothing. My favourite colour is red, which I occasionally bring into my tattoo work when requested. My musical home lies primarily within technical death metal and melodic doom metal.

For me, art is also a way to build community. Through curated playlists and shared platforms, I create spaces where like-minded clients can connect through music, visual culture and personal taste—wherever they may stand within the alternative world.

Concert portfolio Merchandise

Welcome to the Chair

I warmly welcome you to my black chair of torture, where we will create, laugh, exchange inspiration and break a few social norms together.

This may not be for the faint-hearted—but under my care, I will make sure you feel safe, understood and involved throughout the process, while we work towards the strongest possible outcome.

Stay dark, Leyla

Booking