Carolina Caos Avalle Voghera - Italy / New York - USA @carolinacaosavalle @royaleink
. Hello, Carolina! What an absolute joy to speak with you today. We have been closely following your journey for quite some time, and it is truly inspiring to see how your art continuously crosses borders, seamlessly dividing your craft between Italy and the United States. At DGN, we are fascinated not only by the incredible visual power of your paintings and tattoos—where realism and surrealism merge in such a unique way—but also by your personal life philosophy of "don't sit back and wait." Today, we want to invite you to a relaxed conversation to dive into your mind, learn about your present, and discover everything you are planning for the coming months. Thank you so much for sharing this space with us, and welcome!
Hello DGN, thank you so much for this invitation! It is an immense pleasure to be able to share my world with you. Knowing that you follow my journey fills me with pride, and I am happy to delve deeper into the philosophy and passion that guide my work. I am ready for this chat, let's begin.
1.Your artistic path didn't start exclusively with needles, but also with brushes and traditional canvas painting. What was that moment like when you decided to translate your artistic vision into the tattoo world, and what tools from painting still accompany you to this day?
My transition to skin was a natural evolution, not a break. I started as a self-taught artist in a world—the tattoo world—that years ago was very closed and jealous of its secrets. Bringing my artistic vision to skin was like learning a new language: I had to translate what I had learned with brushes and my studies in graphic design and illustration. Painting has never left me; it is my laboratory. The management of light, anatomy, and chromatic balance that I apply to canvas are the same tools I use daily. Skin is a living and complex canvas, but the respect for volume,contrast and depth remains the cornerstone of my work.
2.For those who are just discovering your work, your pieces stand out for a beautiful blend of realism, surrealism, and dreamlike elements. How did you shape this highly personal visual identity over the years?
My identity is the result of years of layering. My background in psychology and design leads me to analyze form before acting. I shaped this style by letting realism (the structure) and surrealism (the emotion) coexist harmoniously. For me, it is not just about tattooing an image, but about giving shape to a subconscious: when I create, I try to blend technical precision with the irrationality of dreams. My visual signature was born the moment I stopped trying to 'be' a certain style and started letting my different passions have a dialogue.
3.Your studio, Royale Ink Collective in Italy, has been your creative base for a long time. What did building your own space mean for your professional growth during the early years of your career?
Opening my studio, the Royale Ink Collective in Voghera, was an act of declaring independence. In the early years, in a provincial setting, there were no masters ready to teach; I had to build everything by myself. Having a space of my own didn't just mean having a roof under which to work, but creating an ecosystem. For me, the studio is where art becomes an experience: it is where I welcome clients, listen to their stories, and plan their journey. It is the base from which I started to then reach international collaborations, like the one in New York.
4.Managing Royale Ink Collective in Voghera, taking care of your European clients, and at the same time doing constant guest spots while meeting the demand in the United States requires impeccable logistics. How do you manage to maintain both artistic consistency and an empathetic connection with each client amidst such a demanding travel schedule?
Managing the Royale Ink Collective is a challenge on multiple fronts, and I would be dishonest if I said it is always easy. Royale Ink is our 'creature'; Stefano and I conceived, built, and furnished it from scratch, and it is a project we care about immensely. But the logistical, practical, and administrative management of a studio is a significant mental load, which at times becomes truly stressful. Paradoxically, when I travel to work abroad or in the United States, I feel almost a sort of 'liberation': my sole focus goes back to art; I free myself from the manager role and can dedicate myself totally to my vision.
Despite this, the heart of my method never changes, whether I am in Voghera or NYC. The key is empathy: regardless of travel or management commitments, the client is never 'just an appointment.' Every session starts much earlier, with deep listening to their story. When I sit with them, I try to clear everything else away to become the narrator of their life on their skin. It is precisely that deep human connection that allows me to maintain artistic coherence: if I tune into the person and truly understand what they want to convey, the busy schedule and distances fade into the background. My 'compass' always remains the trust that the client places in me, and this is what makes every effort—and every sacrifice behind the scenes—absolutely worthwhile.
5.Throughout your career, you have won awards at various tattoo conventions. With the experience and perspective you have today, what value do you place on these awards within your career, and how do you feel they have boosted your standing in the international industry?
I have won many awards, but for me, they are not simple trophies. They have a deeper value: they represent the validation of an artistic choice that, in the beginning, was viewed with skepticism. Coming from studies in graphic design, illustration, and psychology, my approach to tattooing has always been 'out of the box' compared to the 'standard rules' of the sector. I don't speak the classic language of the traditional tattoo artist because I have always tried to build something new, blending my academic studies with art on skin.
Initially, this diversity of mine was often questioned; not following classical conventions, I was perceived as an outsider. Winning those awards, comparing myself with the best professionals, was tangible proof that my vision was solid. It was an immense satisfaction because it confirmed to me, day after day, that I was heading in the right direction, even when it wasn't the beaten path. My reputation was not born from wanting to please the market, but from having persevered in my way of creating, demonstrating that there was also room for a different and personal voice.
6.You mention that surrealism aims to explore the subconscious and dreams, and that you use empathy to capture your clients' stories. Have you ever had to interpret an experience or emotion so abstract that it posed a true technical and conceptual challenge for you? How did you resolve it?
Interpreting an abstract experience is the heart of my work and it is always a challenge, both technical and conceptual. For me, tattooing is never a mechanical act: it is a deep exercise in empathy. Every person who sits in front of me carries within them a story that deserves to be told, and my task is to put myself in their shoes, listen, perceive the emotions, and then filter them through my artistic vision.
The technical challenge arises right here: how to transform a pain, a memory, or a feeling into lines, colors, and subjects? I never choose anything by chance. Every detail, from the choice of the color palette to the dynamics of a line, must be functional to making that work an integral part of the person. There must be naturalness. The tattoo must 'merge' with the wearer, as if it had always been there, a natural extension of their being. When the client looks in the mirror and feels that piece is theirs—unique, unrepeatable, and deeply theirs—then I know I've hit the mark. That is the moment in which the abstract finally becomes tangible and true.
7.In what technical details, compositions, or themes of your current tattoos do you notice this artistic maturity and evolution the most?
Artistic maturity is a direct reflection of my personal growth. I am no longer the Carolina of ten years ago, and it is natural that my style has also changed with me, and I will definitely continue to change and my style will be constantly evolving,. If I look back, I see a past characterized by a more 'pop' approach, with bright, sharp colors and an aesthetic search that perhaps wanted to be louder.
Today my work has taken a different direction, more mature and, if you will, veiled in a certain melancholy. I no longer seek chromatic impact for its own sake; I seek balance. I see true evolution in the ability to integrate elements with the body in a fluid, almost organic way: the designs are no longer 'objects' placed on the skin, but become part of the anatomy, following the muscles and natural shapes of the client. It is an evolution made of subtraction, more studied contrasts, and a different breath. I feel that today my compositions have a depth I didn't have before, because I have learned that sometimes, to tell a story, you don't need to add, but to know how to choose with extreme care what to leave and what to put in the shadows.
8.Currently, your constant collaborations with Stefano are a signature element of your work. How do your two styles coexist and enrich each other on a daily basis to achieve such powerful pieces?
The collaboration with Stefano Galati is the pillar of my work. We started this journey together, we grew side by side, 'fighting' and learning from each other every day. This shared history has led us today to an almost total fusion capacity: when we collaborate, it is as if we become a single tattoo artist. A sort of 'third style' is created, a distinctive visual identity that emerges exclusively in our four-handed works and that neither of us could replicate alone.
Technically, contrast is what makes everything so powerful. His 'darker' soul, that ability to master deep and solid blacks, perfectly complements my illustrative, pictorial, and realistic work. This meeting between the solidity of his graphics and my visual storytelling creates an impact that is, for us, the true trademark of every shared project: a balance that we don't try to force, but that arises spontaneously precisely because we know each other so well in work.
9."Don't sit back and wait": This phrase marked a turning point in your life. In your current routine, between traveling, designing, and tattooing, how do you apply this philosophy to avoid falling into your comfort zone and to keep striving for excellence?
Don't just stand around waiting' [or: 'Don't sit on your hands waiting']: This phrase became my mantra, but over time I learned that it is a double-edged sword. If at the beginning 'not standing around waiting' simply meant being operative, today I have understood that there is a risk of mistaking organizational frenzy for creativity. I spend a lot of time managing travel, logistics, planning, communication, and studio management; the paradox is that I often end up organizing much more than I manage to actually create.
'Breathing,' for me, means exactly this: having the courage to change course. I want to subtract space from managerial tasks to give it back to pure creation, finally dedicating myself to artistic projects (like painting and illustration) that I have too often had to put in the background.
It is not easy, though. Today the tattoo world requires you to be not only an artist: you have to be a manager, videographer, photographer, social media manager, and much more. It is a huge mental load that risks suffocating the creative spark. My real current challenge is this: finding the balance so I don't let myself be consumed by this amount of 'accessory' work, to return to focusing on what really matters: creating art, not just managing a business.
10.The year is in full swing and your pace isn't slowing down. What major trips, guest spots, or conventions do you have scheduled for the upcoming months of this 2026?
2026 is confirming the tight pace that characterizes my life. Just these days I returned from Brazil, where I had the honor of participating in an international event as a judge: it was an incredible experience, a comparison that enriched me a lot.
Now, however, I felt the need to stop for a moment. As I was saying, I am learning to manage my time better and this short break is necessary to recharge my batteries. But it won't last long: from September, the pace will start to pick up again. I already have several international stops on my schedule: I will be in Switzerland at Lugano tattoo Royale, then I will return to the United States, NYC, Denver, Portland, Los Angeles and subsequently I will leave for Australia at The Iron Gate Tattoo Convention, I'd like to spend some time in Australia, traveling and working. As always, I prefer to communicate precise dates and appointments through my social channels, so as to allow my clients to follow me in my travels.
11.If you could turn back time today and speak to the Carolina of many years ago—the one just taking her very first steps, or the one sitting at that train station deciding her destination—what would you tell her today, with all this ground covered and having built this beautiful reality across two continents?
I would tell her not to be afraid of the chaos. I would tell her, trust that chaos, let it flow, and don't try to harness it, because it is exactly the raw material you will transform into art. Today, looking at how far I've come and the reality I've built, I know that if I had been 'tidy' or 'compliant,' I would never have arrived where I am. That disorder became my signature, my most authentic voice. So, breathe: that chaos is not an obstacle, it is your superpower. Embrace it, because one day it will be the reason why people stop to look at your art on their skin.
I would tell her that that girl sitting at the station, uncertain about her future, already had everything she needed: stubbornness and the ability to dream. I would tell her not to listen to those who told her it wasn't the right path. The path was difficult, especially at the beginning, but I would tell her: 'Keep studying, keep suffering over those drawings, because one day you will not only carry your world onto other people's skin, but you will build a reality that unites two continents.'
12.Is there any final message you would like to leave for our readers?
There is one last message I would like to leave: don't be afraid of that 'fire' that torments you. Often, in today's society, we seek tranquility or the easiest path at all costs, but the truth is that—whether it's tattooing, painting, or any other passion—it is precisely that suffering, that feeling of being constantly unsatisfied and in search of something more, that pushes us beyond the limit. It is precisely that inner fire that saves us. If you feel it inside, don't try to extinguish it to be more comfortable; follow it, feed it, even when it hurts or when the weight becomes difficult to carry. It is right there, in that creative tension, that your true signature in the world is hidden.
However, you must be honest with yourselves. Today, being an artist means enduring a huge load—between business management, communication, and the need to create—and the risk of burning out is real. Therefore, if you want to undertake this path, do it for the right reasons: passion, respect, humility. Don't look for shortcuts or easy money. Tattooing is an art, an eternal responsibility on another person's skin. Study, work hard, and honor the trust that is given to you every single day. Never stop searching, suffering, and creating: it is the only way we have to stay alive.
Comments