In Japan, broken pottery doesn’t just get tossed in the trash. Instead, it’s given new life through a repair method called kintsugi, where cracks are filled with metallic lacquer. The idea is that the breaks become part of the object’s story, making the piece even more special than before. Inspired by the ancient tradition, South Korean tattoo artist Irae creates blue and gold tattoos of museum-worthy objects.
Each design of Irae’s portfolio of microrealistic tattoos is loaded with lifelike details, clever shading, and delicate highlights. From a “ceramic” broken heart mended with gold to a butterfly that seems sculpted from porcelain, each tattoo looks like a tangible object that you could lift right off the skin. And for the wearer, their permanent ink is a beautiful celebration of imperfection, break, and repair.
Irae is self-taught, and she’s always pushing herself to get better at tattooing. “The more I practiced and worked, the more I realized how much I didn’t know,” she reveals. “That feeling of dissatisfaction made me realize this was something I truly cared about.” Once she discovered her style, she refined it further, achieving the stunning level of microrealism she’s known for today. She says, “Using gold’s physical texture as a base and layering it with various expressions of blue has been a really enjoyable exploration.”
Check out some of the artist’s kintsugi-inspired tattoos below and find more from her portfolio by following Irae on Instagram.
South Korean tattoo artist Irae creates blue and gold tattoos inspired by kintsugi, the centuries-old Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with gold lacquer.
Her delicate designs look so real you almost feel like you could reach out and pick them up right off the skin.
Each piece captures the beauty of embracing imperfection and repair.
Irae: Instagram
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