Woojin Choi Los Angeles - USA @oozy_tattoo - @oozy.or.oozy YouTube: @oozyreal

Trained in animation and originally from South Korea, Woojin Choi has spent over eleven years developing an artistic voice that defies conventional tattoo categories. Now based in Los Angeles, Choi draws on influences ranging from classical and contemporary art to design, pop culture, and traditional Asian aesthetics to create work that delivers powerful visual impact and symbolic depth.

Rather than committing to a single defined style, Choi has cultivated a strong visual identity that resonates with an international audience. He sees each tattoo as an open-ended collaboration, where meaning is shaped not by the artist but by the person who wears it. This perspective has led him to projects with brands like Jack Daniel’s, while also encouraging him to expand into other creative disciplines such as illustration and painting.

In this interview, Choi discusses his beginnings—sparked by a chance encounter with tattoo culture during military service—his creative process, and his vision of art as a means of connection. Accompanied by Harley, his six-month-old dachshund who rarely leaves his side, he reflects on the challenges of his early days in the U.S. and shares his hopes for 2025: a year of rebuilding, expansion, and renewed artistic freedom—both on skin and beyond.

1.led you to choose this path?

My interest in tattoos began during my military service, when I saw a fellow soldier with heavily

tattooed arms...

2. Your style is very unique. How woul

d you define your own style, and where does that strong visual identity come from?

Rather than defining my work as a specific “style,” I’ve always focused on creating something

that delivers strong visual impact...

3. Your work carries a strong symbolic load and often a complex narrative. How

important is it for you that a tattoo has a message or story behind it?

Honestly, I don’t believe it’s my role to assign meaning or narrative to a tattoo. That part belongs to the client...

4. You’ve worked with well-known brands like Jack Daniel’s. What was that experience like, and what differences did you find between creating for a brand and creating for skin?

Collaborating with brands like Jack Daniel’s is always an exciting experience...

5. Your work seems to be strongly influenced by your culture. How do you bring your

roots and identity into your work as a tattoo artist?

I’m influenced by many things—comics, fine art, design, traditional and contemporary aesthetics...

6. Besides tattooing, do you explore other forms of art such as illustration, sculpture, or digital art? How do these disciplines relate to or feed into each other in your creative process?

That’s a really important question. Lately, I’ve been trying to focus more on things outside of tattooing...

7. You’ve managed to connect with an international audience. From your perspective, what do you think people find most appealing about your art?

I think what resonates most with people is the sense of “newness.”...

8. What role does technology play in your work? Do you use digital tools to design, or do you prefer to stick to traditional methods?

With the exception of fine art painting—like oil on canvas—I use digital tools for almost everything...

9. How is your year going so far? What projects are you currently working on or

planning for the rest of 2025?

It’s been almost three years since I moved to the U.S...

When I first started working at a studio here, I often felt that I wasn’t being fully respected as an artist...

I couldn’t stay in a space that treated me like a machine part—valued only for productivity, not personhood...

I truly believe that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and I see 2025 as a year of recovery and a new beginning.

10. Looking ahead, how do you imagine your professional development in the tattoo

world? How far would you like to take your art? And if you had to thank a few key

people along your journey, who would you mention?

Like many artists, my long-term goal is to build a brand around my name—not just in tattooing, but across various forms of art...