by SAMANTHA BOIANI
N
atalia Borgia was born in Eastern Poland and grew up
under the Communist regime. There was only one art
school near Natalia’s home and the chances of acceptance
were slim. In 1997, luck won her and her family a ticket to
the U.S. in the Green Card Lottery.
“My clients chose
me and my work
among many
others, so I always
try to give them
my best.”
When she was 15, a security guard at her New York City high
school casually mentioned that she should become a tattoo
artist. The idea stuck. Before tattooing, Natalia had many
jobs in the art world, from photography and graphic design,
all the way to illustration. However, the real beginning of her
career was when she received a tattoo kit from her husband
as a birthday gift. “Since I had absolutely no idea how to use
it, it ended up in the corner collecting dust quite quickly.” A
year later, the owner of Island Tattoo (now New York Tattoo)
saw potential in a piece she had done on herself and offered
her an apprenticeship.
Today, Natalia works with an all-female crew at Beaver Tattoo in New York City. “The whole idea (for the name) started
as a joke, but actually became reality in 2010.” Though they
welcome all genders they do get more clients of the female
variety. “A lot of ladies like the idea because they feel more at
ease with a girl artist, especially when they are getting work
on intimate areas where they have to be quite undressed.
Their boyfriends are happy about it as well.”
Being a minority in the tattoo industry doesn’t faze Natalia.