‘Tattoos are not a crime’ – how Iranian tattoo artists are leaving an indelible mark on a society that is slowly coming to accept body ink

In the Iranian capital, Tehran, home tattoo studios are common. ‘All sorts of people now are doing tattoos,’ says Sean, a tattoo artist for 17 years.

Some see tattoos as an act of defiance, others as self-expression. They are not banned but Islamic conservatives link them with immorality and Westernisation

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An Iranian man shows his tattoos in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Iranian tattoo artists have seen tattoos gain popularity in recent years, with some clients seeing them as a form of self-expression, others as an act of defiance against conservative Islam. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:15am, 6 Dec 2023Updated: 5:07am, 6 Dec 2023

In a flat in northern Tehran, concealed from the public eye, Sean proudly shows the tattoo motifs crafted by his students, each meticulously etched onto silicon canvases.

The 34-year-old opened the home studio in the Iranian capital only eight months ago, aspiring to share the art of tattooing that over the years has largely thrived underground in the Islamic republic.

“All tattoo artists in Iran usually work at home,” Sean, using his artistic nickname, says in his studio. “We risked a lot this year by opening this place and turning it into an academy.”

While Iran has not explicitly banned tattooing, conservatives still view the practice as linked with immorality, delinquency and Westernisation. Yet tattoos have gained popularity in recent years in the country, with many young people proudly displaying their ink in public.

Sean, the owner of a tattoo studio in Iran’s capital, Tehran, where he teaches aspiring tattooists as well as inking clients. Photo: AFP

Seeing the growing trend, Sean opened other studios in the southeastern city of Kerman and on the resort island of Kish.