A Room of Mr. Koo’s Own
Over a studio visit, Hong Kong tattoo artist Mr. Koo shares some words about life, sobriety, and the art of sourcing furniture in the city.
They say that nowadays, to be an artist, you also need to be a content creator.
In Hong Kong, there’s one artist who’s been frequently documenting his art process online, and his name is Mr. Koo. On Instagram, he shares how he creates paintings from start to finish, how he curates gallery collections, and his creative ways of collecting art materials around the city. Over the last few months, he’s since become a mainstay on my Instagram explore page.
Mr. Koo paints on canvases and creates short-form content, but his artwork most often lands on the human body: he is a tattoo artist primarily, and his style, often combining thin lines, geometric shapes with otherworldly symbols, has been described by many as “micro realist.” Born in Hong Kong, Mr. Koo moved to Toronto in early childhood. In Canada, he opened Ink & Water, which became one of the most popular tattoo shops in North America. According to the Toronto Star, Ink & Water was a major player in tattoos’ entrance into mainstream American culture back in the 2010s. Independently, Mr. Koo’s also collaborated with brands like Nike, the Toronto Raptors, NBA, Doc Martens, Jameson Irish Whisky, and more.
Now, after leaving an illustrious creative career and returning home to Hong Kong, he says “I gave away everything I owned: all my money, my property, my cars. I just came here with enough money for a year of rent and decided to live off of that.”
It might not show from his frequent online presence, but Mr. Koo is creating a more quiet life here in Hong Kong. Away from busier artist centers like Sheung Wan, his studio is located in an industrial building in Chai Wan, roughly 15 minutes walking distance from the nearest MTR station. “Nobody thinks of coming here. There’s no white food in the area, it’s very local,” he says. “But Chai Wan’s this little bubble of popular expats and creatives.”
His studio is spacious, almost unfamiliar to the dense, cramped Hong Kong. The ceiling is tall. Most of the wooden floors are left uncovered, whether by furniture or by a carpet. And no wall divides Mr. Koo’s workspace for making art, his living room, and where he inks tattoos. Makeshift furniture is scattered throughout the large room — that is, if any of it can even be called furniture. A row of cinema seats are lined up in front of his TV. A basketball hoop hangs above his tattoo bed. When asked why these items are in his workspace, he says, “To me, it doesn't really matter. It’s an art studio, right? Like, who cares?”
“Everything in this studio is found, nothing is bought here.” His large couch, coffee table, and cabinet are taken from the dumpsites of industrial neighborhoods in Hong Kong, and cleaned and repurposed for his own personal use. (He shares just how he does this in an Instagram reel posted last April).
“I’ve always upcycled furniture, even in Canada. My brother and I had a business of buying and selling found furniture pieces. When I moved my studio to Chai Wan, I was like, there’s so many businesses here, so there’s a lot of junk and stuff they’re throwing out,” says Mr. Koo. “And I wasn’t wrong. Everything that I was finding was brand new.”
His own exhibition pieces decorate the studio alongside the makeshift and repurposed furniture — a sight at once both playful and serious.
Studios are extensions of artists themselves, of course — it’s where their traits materialize and come to life. And as seen in his workspace, a blend of fun and earnestness seems to power the life of Mr. Koo. He describes his tattoos as “just funny stuff,” even though they commemorate important people in his life: his grandfather and godchildren, in particular. He also recalls a period in his career as a graffiti artist in Hong Kong, where he’d tag walls with spray paint while critiquing capitalism (“I wrote the word ‘release,’ trying to send a message out because Hong Kong people are very stressed,” he says.).
Over a visit to his studio, Mr. Koo shares a few words on life, sobriety, finding furniture with THE CHOW, and recommendations both fun and serious:
Collecting furniture from industrial neighborhoods 🛋️🪑🗄️
There are so many event companies, production companies, and photographers here in Chai Wan. But once they’re finished with a shoot, they throw everything out. This table right here is brand new, it’s still in the box. I found four more giant cabinets, like from a shop that bought too much furniture or that closed down before even using it.
Nobody re-uses here in Hong Kong. No one wants anything used. Everybody thinks things are dirty, but it’s so clean! Everything’s packaged perfectly.
Get a dog 🐕
If you know me, you know I walk my dog ALL DAY. Three or four hours each day, minimum. He keeps me sane. Whenever anything’s wrong, he’s there for me. Get a dog, everyone.
Avoid stimulants 🙅♂️🥴
I don’t drink any alcohol, I’ve been sober since 2009. My next step after that was to think about how to keep my mind calm. Garlic and onion is a big stimulant according to Buddhist sayings. They also stimulate your body a lot, they make me really gassy and because I had stomach issues I stopped eating them. I don’t drink caffeine, either. I’ll drink tea, maybe, but not for the caffeine.
Eating onigiri 🍙🍘
I don’t eat a lot of different food. I’m gluten free, dairy free, egg free. I’m also allergic to a lot of grains. Fuck, I fucking can’t eat anything! So I barely go out and eat. Soy sauce is gluten too, so I can't eat that. That means I eat onigiri for 99% of my meals. Specifically from Omusubi or 7/11. I’m not allergic to those, so I can eat them all day.
Clothes from local brand Grocery 🛒🥬🥒🍅
I’m a huge fan of the brand Grocery — it’s a really cool local brand here in Hong Kong. I’m in their clothes all the time. To me, they’re pushing the standard of Hong Kong fashion a lot. Not in the very indie way, but more in the Hypebeast kind of way. For me, coming with a North American eye, it’s very different. I did a photoshoot for them and we just took fun photos smoking in the bathroom. They’re more fun than more normal brands.