The Brazilian tattoo artist from New Black Studio in São Paulo tells us how he and his refined, technological Blackwork style have become one and the same.
First of all, may I ask you how many years have you been tattooing and what exactly does your nickname “Planoc” mean?
First of all, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to be here, talking and sharing a bit more about the depth of my work. In 2025, I’ll be celebrating 12 years as a tattoo artist. As for my nickname, “Planoc” comes from my connection with the number 3, it means “Plan C” in Portuguese. That name carries a lot of meaning for me, one of the main ones being a reminder that the top isn’t always the best place to be.
How did you realize the elegance and sophistication of Blackwork could be your winning card?
Honestly, Blackwork was the reason I fell in love with tattooing in the first place. The style started gaining traction online around 2013, which happened to be the same time I was really active with drawing.
Most of what I learnt came from a kind of artistic innocence…
I’d just draw and recreate what I imagined and liked. Looking back, I can say discovering this style completely changed my life.
Your work has been described as carrying a strong sense of “inner melancholy”. Do you agree with that?
My work is how I see, feel, and communicate with the world. Coming from one of the biggest cities on Earth (São Paulo), where we’re basically swallowed by technology and chaos every day, there’s no way that doesn’t bleed into my creations. And when we’re talking about machines, something so raw and emotionless, it’s “easy” to link that with the existential void that everyday life pushes onto our identity.
How futuristic are your tattoos? Are you into cyberpunk and sci-fi in that sense of blending human and machine, soul and computer?
I think my work is more “present” than it looks. We’re already living half our lives digitally and surrounded by machines. We interact with them, work with them, build relationships through them. So for me, this universe I create is already happening in front of our eyes. Now with AI, things are getting even closer and who knows where we’re headed. Maybe our idea of the future is already behind us. Choosing to bring this theme into my tattoos was the best decision I made professionally.
Today, I feel like I am my work, and it is me. We function together, the same way.
What’s it like to work in São Paulo in the studio, ‘New Black Studio’?
Our studio (IG: @newblackstudio) reflects the spirit of São Paulo, it couldn’t be any other way. We’re right in the heart of the city, and even though some people think it’s too chaotic, that chaos is part of our identity. It’s where we feel at home, where we can truly be ourselves.
Are you planning a European tattoo convention tour for fall/winter 2025?
Right now, I don’t have anything planned but it might happen. In Europe I’ve already been part of conventions in Paris and Belgium.
And your final famous words are…?
Consume everything you love and let that shape who you are.
