Manè Dias Kyiv / Ukraine @themanedias manedias-tattoo.com
Tattooing has long transcended the realm of mere bodily ornamentation to establish itself as an artistic language with a heavy conceptual weight. In this conversation, we dive into the universe of a visual creator who, bypassing academic classrooms in favor of a self-taught path, transformed black ink into her definitive medium. Her style rejects obvious narratives; instead, she favors the impact of intuition, building atmospheres that linger in the mind like a déjà vu, guided by an aesthetic that draws directly from noir cinema and avant-garde photography.
Tracing a journey from her earliest childhood sketches to her recent professional leap to the United States, the artist offers a candid blueprint of her search for a distinct voice, the challenges of self-management, and the future of her work, which has now expanded into liquid charcoal painting. This is an honest conversation about breaking the mold and the courage to trust your gut when there is no roadmap in sight.
How did you take your first steps into the art world?
I started scribbling as soon as I learnt how to hold a pencil. I scribbled on book pages, pieces of paper and even walls -- my parents never stopped me from that and even encouraged it. In our home there were several art books that fascinated me as a kid. I distinctly remember one Martiros Saryan. Growing up, drawing became my main hobby. I wasn't fantasising through it, though, but reflecting. It was my way of exploring the world, people around me and myself. I am still a rather visual thinker. Images come to me much faster than words. I never studied art academically, I was learning on the go. Being a self taught artist gives you liberty but makes you responsible for gaining structure in it. I believe I am still in the process of achieving that structure. Diving into Art History helped me on my path as well. While not having actual mentors or teachers, I found those amongst artists I read about since I was a teenager. Figures like Munch, Abramovic, Mapplethorpe, Magritte became role models for me and helped me shape my visual language.
What led you to become a professional tattoo artist?
I was always mesmerised by tattoos and I knew since I was 12 I would have a lot of them. I started writing down tattoo ideas, sketching designs I'd like to get someday. As a teenager, I designed my first two tattoos (first one I got when I was 15) and first tattoo for my brother. I was 18 years old when the question arose: what am I going to do with my life? I badly wanted to be an artist, but I felt too practical and down-to-earth to become a painter while also too restless to get into design. The answer lay on the surface and I didn't have to wander for too long. It was obvious to me that I had to start tattooing.
How would you describe your style? How does it connect with other artistic
branches?
I like to see tattoos as a preferred artistic medium rather than simply a craft. That's how I define tattooing for myself, therefore I like to build my compositions in a moody, metaphorical way adding a touch of dreamlike feeling to them. I don't want tattoos that I create to tell a story, I want them to remind me of a feeling, to be read intuitively. I want them to stay in the mind of the viewer as a deja-vu that is hard to brush off. That is the reason I don't use color, staying within the shades of black ink. I treat flowers, humans, birds, rocks -- all of the elements of my imagery -- equally as abstract objects that merge, conceptualised, into compositions to remain as associations instead of tales. My style exists at the crossroads of noir cinema, avant-garde photography and modernist art.
What were your experiences like at conventions? What did it mean to be invited as a
jury member?
Conventions were honestly a mix of chaos, fun, pressure, and meeting a lot of interesting people from completely different places and styles. You spend days surrounded by artists who are all very opinionated and passionate about what they do, so it pushes you creatively and professionally at the same time. For me it was less about competition and more about exchanging energy, seeing different approaches to tattooing, and getting exposed to new perspectives and techniques. It’s also one of the few environments where you can immediately feel what kind of artist someone is just by watching them work for a few hours. Being invited as a jury member meant a lot because it felt like recognition from the industry and from other artists whose work I respect. It showed me that people value not only my technical work, but also my artistic eye and judgment.
What experiences did you gather during your time at different studios?
Every studio had its own atmosphere, standards, and pace, so I learned to adapt quickly while still keeping my own artistic identity. I gained experience not only technically, but also professionally — communication with clients, handling pressure, time management, collaboration with other artists, and understanding how to work in very different environments and with different audiences. It also helped me understand what kind of artist I want to be myself. Seeing different studio cultures gave me a clearer sense of my own priorities creatively and professionally.
What were the experiences throughout your career that helped you grow the most?
A big part of my growth came from being self-taught and having to build everything through experimentation, mistakes, observation, and constant practice. It forced me to develop my own way of thinking instead of following one strict system from the beginning. A lot of my career was really about trying to find my own visual voice and understanding what I actually wanted tattooing to mean for me artistically. Another important part was pushing against narrow ideas of what tattoos are “supposed” to look like. I was always more interested in expanding the way people imagine tattooing can exist — closer to art, atmosphere, symbolism, emotion, and personal storytelling rather than just decoration. Traveling also shaped me a lot. Working in different places, meeting artists from different backgrounds, and seeing different tattoo cultures gave me perspective and helped me grow both creatively and personally. One major turning point was opening my private studio right before Covid hit. It was a difficult moment to start something independently, but it taught me resilience and made me take my work much more seriously as both an artist and a professional. Eventually, deciding to take my art overseas and move to the States became another huge step for me. It pushed me out of my comfort zone completely and opened new opportunities, audiences, and experiences that changed the way I see both tattooing and myself as an artist.
How much value do you place on social media content?
I always say that infatuation is a big part of being perceived as an artist. My social media presence is as much a part of my work as my tattoos or paintings. I think people connect not only to the final image, but also to the atmosphere, personality, and emotions surrounding it. It’s important for me that everything feels cohesive and exists within one visual and emotional language. I treat social media almost like an extension of the artwork itself rather than just promotion. At the same time, I think relatability matters. People respond when they can recognize parts of themselves in what you create or present outwardly, even if the work itself is dark, surreal, or emotionally intense.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
More work, more art, and more conventions. I also have a few collaborations in mind that I’m excited about.
Lately I’ve been focusing a lot on liquid charcoal paintings, and if everything works out and I can find enough time between projects and travel, I’d love to organize an exhibition for the series I’ve been working on.
If someone wants to contact you, how can they do so?
I conduct communication through my instagram, website inquiries or email. It's honestly as simple as shooting me a dm or writing a letter. I do my best to be as responsive as possible.
Any special message you would like to share?
I think patience is important, but so is being impulsive sometimes. A lot of the best decisions in my life came from trusting my gut before having a perfect plan. At the end of the day, most growth comes from staying curious, trying things, and not being too afraid to look stupid while figuring yourself out.
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