«In order to truly understand tattooing, you have to fully commit yourself to it». This is what Romina Citrom (known to everyone as “Citrom”) explains to us about her love for tattoo art and her blackworks that come to life at the ‘IP23 Studio’ in Athens.
Citrom, first, I’d like to start with your stage name: how exactly did it come about?
That’s actually a pretty funny story, since my name on Instagram (IG: @_citrom._) came from a nickname I had in high school. I decided not to change it because I was never really a social media person, so it just followed me to where I am now.
On your Instagram profile, you describe yourself as “Human”. What were you trying to imply or emphasize?
As I said before, I’m not really an Instagram persona (IG: @_citrom._). I just feel like a human being doing what I love and sharing it with other humans. I think it’s super important to keep in mind that tattooing, as a craft, was created by us to express a vision of the world or even a person’s state of being. That’s why I find it very important in my work to refer to the human experience.
Have you always tattooed in the Blackwork/Ornamental style, or has your artistic journey been long and varied?
I started tattooing 5 years ago. From the beginning, I was into Symbolic tattoos and Geometric shapes. However, as I’ve grown as a tattoo artist, I’ve realized that what I enjoy the most is using these shapes in accordance with the body’s movements and structure. I’m still learning how to work with ornaments and bigger shapes inspired by Tribal tattoos, complementing each body shape.
Do you have carte blanche from the clients who come to you? Or do they always bring an initial idea, and then you try to synthesize and improve it later?
I would say that the more people get to know my work, the more they give me artistic freedom regarding what they will eventually carry on their skin.
I always try to meet each person and match the tattoo with the vibe they radiate.
Other times, they come with a reference, and I try to improvise because I find it very important that the other person feels confident with their tattoo. That’s why you can see a variety of tattoos on my profile (IG: @_citrom._), all based on an Ornamental style.
Do you consider yourself a tattoo artist on the road? I noticed that in June 2026 you will be in Helsinki and traveling around Germany, and in July you will be working in Vienna. When you are based in Greece do you have a reference studio in Athens (and maybe Thessaloniki)?
I’ve always been a person who likes to move around, but especially now, I find myself at a point in my career where I want to expand my knowledge of this craft. I think that traveling for tattooing always teaches me something new, through the people I meet, new ideas, and ways of becoming better at what I do. My home base is Athens, at IP23 Studio (@ip23studio) — a creative space we built to have complete creative freedom across both graphic design and tattooing. I also travel to Thessaloniki occasionally for guest spots.
You’re not just a tattoo artist but also a true tattoo lover. Who designed your two sleeves, and what do they represent in terms of symbols and subjects?
Yes, in my opinion, in order to truly understand tattooing, you have to fully commit yourself to it. Both of my sleeves were chosen through deep esoteric work on myself, and both mean something special to me. The right side was made by my dear partner when I started tattooing, and the left side was made by Ether.
It symbolizes darkness and light, based on Persephone’s myth.
Do you have tattoos on other parts of your body?
I also have my legs tattooed, and right now I’m working on my back piece with Paula Sgarbi (IG: @paulasgarbi), who is an artist I really admire and feel inspired by.
Will you get more tattoos in the future, or have you achieved what you were looking for with ink so far?
Yes. I still have a long way to go with the tattoos on my body.
And your last famous words are… ?
I would say: go for it, whatever it is. Even if it scares you, take the risk, and great things will happen.
