#bouits

Bouits | On the Road  "Je suis Charlie" This tattoo was inspired by, and pays tribute to, the lives lost in 2015 at the offices of Charlie Hebdo. 

Bouits | On the Road

The artwork and tattoos of Bouits is essentially an energetic and vibrant amalgamation of styles, seemingly inspired by art periods, movements and nations from an eclectic and endless list of hosts. Her works, imaginative and bold, seem to always serve as a celebration of something, be it femininity, life or love.

What’s your earliest memory of tattoos/tattooing? The moment I really remember from tattoo is when I arrived to the shop for my apprenticeship, it was more than surrealistic for me. I was 20 had only two tattoos but I feel like it was the way to make it happen; the kind of perfect moment at the perfect time. I was crazy, happy it was a real rebirth for me. It was spring time, beautiful weather and coffee and in one day and two weeks after I joined a great team and started my life. What is your full birth name? My full birth name is Marion Behets but I prefer when people named me Bouits, I love that nickname. Where in the world do you most feel at home? To be honest I don’t really feel at home nowhere and at the same time I am at home everywhere. I love my childhood house because it’s fucking far away from everything but I left it when I was 15, since then I never spend more than 2 years in the same place so I am at my place every where now. What’s the last movie you watched? The last movie i watched was a documentary about the transexual named " DIVINE". What takes up the most of your time when you’re not tattooing?I’ve been a bit lazy for a few months; I draw a bit when I am not tattooing but I had a kind of crash mind about tattooing and drawing, so I spend my time outside, to the sea or walk in the mountains. I love cooking and handcraft stuff so I make some collage and research about little object or about more intuitive things. Describe your style in less than 5 words. Nervous spiritual contemplation under construction. How important is escaping city-life, to you? It’s super important to get out of city for me. I am from a small village in the Alps (less than 10 people living) around the mountains, rivers and nature. I love that so much. In the city, it’s hard for me to endure others sometimes; un-polite, dirty, the subway, the rush, super selfish. I need to go out to the city to appreciate city when I am inside. It’s so much easier and comfortable for me to be by myself in this non urban context; to lay down in the grass near to a river. That great simple life, no? What’s the last tattoo you made? The last tattoo i made was for a tattoo trade with the great Stef Holl. I made him a mother nature with a sun rising in her belly, and he make me a super cute gangsta squirrel trying to catch a butterfly. What tattooer do you admire/respect the most? I had a big work and personal crush and a huge respect for a particular tattoo artist but he really disappointed me by the way he acted. It made me stop seeing people more shiny or more beautiful than what they are, and to just accept them. And I am not someone like groupie; I love a lot of different works. There are a few artists I am really impressed by like Brindi, (Isiah) Tooth Taker, Koji Ichimaru, Mikael de Poissy etc etc.... Do you gravitate towards a certain colour/palette in your work? I loved to use pale blue, rose, and light or gold yellow with black but I start to make it change like dirty green with peach or this kind of weird mix. At the beginning i was sure color could help people to recognize my work, now I am more along the drawing lines, to have my own drawing style, like that I can use the colors I want, it’s still recognizable because the drawing lines make it recognizable. Does the popularity of tattooing make you cynical or optimistic for the future? I was really pissed off by that; I don’t really know why... I guess tattoo was super mystic for me and when something is not rare anymore, you loose this mysticism. But now I am happy because it’s more popular so people get better inked and there is a lot of choice of tattoo style. We will see how it's evolve I am a bit sad to miss the beginning of european tattoo  Do you have a guilty pleasure? I love alcohol and smoking weed in a bath... It doesnt make me feel guilty but I know I will do nothing else of my day when that happens. How do you stay inspired? I love going museums and looking at some books, plus I am super transparent with my emotions; drawing is a way to put them somewhere else than in my head and I love reading poetic stuff. I am a bit romantic. And I try to keep an eyes on lot of art stuff not just tattoo, but clay sculpture, pattern on fabric, photography etc... makes my brain work. Who or what has shaped your style? When I started tattooing it was people like my master Xoil, or graphic artists most of the time; big pieces, Yann Black, (Thomas) Hooper, Lionel Fahyand when I left the shop I was furious; completely mad, and I came back to the crazy primary African Art, super aggressive, and now I am in balance. I work by emotion; that's my way to shape my style How musical are you? I loved funk so much, lot of old french song too, some rap, and ethnic music. I am super easy in music until it's not trap music ahah. If you could be tattooed by one person for the rest of your life, who would you chose? Haha that's super hard. I have no idea; someone ornamental so probably Guy (Le Tatooer) because he makes awesome body suit but I never met him or Edekwerty for the crazy work he makes. Will Humans still be getting tattooed in a hundred years? I guess yes, people love this new appropriation of their body.

Bouits is on the road.

I stand before her amazed as she dances and demands The head of John the Baptist on a plate