By Thea Martynska and Giselle Francis

We had a chat with the lovely Sofire from Brixton. We spoke about her work her inspirations and everything in between!
Sofire started tattooing 5 years ago and at that time there weren’t many working class women of colour in the industry. She loves that she can inspire people and open the door to everyone. She feels the same about Graffing which was her first passion in the art world. It’s an extremely male dominated industry and for people to see her doing it is really inspiring. She feels grateful that she can sustain her life creatively and earn money whilst doing the thing she loves.
Talking about her work she expressed how incredible it feels to be chosen by someone and to be given that trust. Tattooing is a form of soft therapy for people and a way to express yourself outside of the factors you can’t choose for yourself. She see’s tattooing as a way of giving someone an experience, she likes to take the time to chat and get to know her customers, so every time they see the tattoo there’s a great memory to go with it. For her, tattooing is a selfless act, it’s the same as giving someone a gift. She’s always felt that if she could do it for free she would. Sofire only ever does one tattoo once so everyone has something special and unique!
Sofire is dyslexic which had a massive effect on her influences growing up. she watched a lot of anime and as someone who struggled with reading, writing and speaking, learning that she could create a story through imagery was a pivotal moment. Another huge influence for her was graffiti, in a similar way to tattooing it is a way of leaving your mark in the world. She mentions that the saying ‘no one’s ever dead until your names not spoken has always resonated with her artistically. She draws powerhouse women who represent what she wanted to see when she was growing up in art as well as the women she saw around her.




She is a very earthly person, and loves to tell a story with her art. She is proud to be a woman and likes to show that, As she describes it ‘there’s powerful femininity radiating through my work’. One of her passions is finding vintage children’s books and old prints, she loves car boot sales and vintage shops. Sofire describes herself as a ‘deep routed hippy’ she finds the world of fantasy fascinating and loves to incorporate it into her work!
Sofire is passionate about connecting women in different industries and communities, she sees London like a spider web where you have the opportunity to make amazing relationships. When describing London Sofire says it’s like a ‘melting pot where you’re always developing and changing that’s just how the city works ‘. She believes that Londoners are privileged, living in a city where we can learn so much from others culturally and creatively. The female communities of London are something that Sofia feels blessed to have seen grow as women come into the spotlight of creative industries. Despite being in the game for a long time and working exclusively in female, queer and BIPOC tattoo studios she still feels there is much to learn from the next generation. Her clients are of various ages and cultures; she recalls a beautiful moment in her career being her first art show where her clients met and made new friendships. Being able to provide these spaces for creatives and women is something she really loves about her work.

As much as Sofire is heavily involved in creative communities she also really values the solitary moments of being an artist. She says the way she sees it, ‘it comes down to why do you want to express yourself and that’s usually some sort of therapy’. Expression of self is a part of Sofia’s philosophy as an illustrator and tattoo artist. I think we could all take a leaf out of her book,the balance between being an active part of community and also making creative time for yourself is very hard to achieve and clearly Sofia in her own growth has found a way to make both successful.
Following her hobbies in self studying mythology, cultural histories and vintage children’s stories we can expect to see to see a lot of new projects. From tarot cards to zodiac series, children’s books and comic books it seems there are no limits to Sofias ideas and what she will achieve. I’m sure just like us you’re excited to see more.


One thing that Sofia said that really stuck with us after the interview is that within all work that truly means something to you there is nothing limiting your ambitions; everyone is creative and really, it will only bring you joy . Being free creatively seems to be key in how she has grown and formed an identity within her work. She encourages all young artists to do the same ‘make sure your have some sort of artistic freedom, art should be free not just financially but in how you make the work ’.
P.s
As you all anxiously anticipate Sofire’s new work (which we are sure will be incredible) you can come see some of her art at our show on the 12th of august at Avalon cafe, Bermondsey. We are very lucky to have her and can’t wait celebrate her work amongst many others with you !

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