Nomi Chi, a Vancouver-based illustrator and tattoo artist, creates mysterious, sometimes playful images that often explore identity. Whether it’s on paper, sculptural, or in mural form, these strange characters mix the absorbing and the unsettling. Though accomplished in both tattooing and illustration, the latter carries more personal themes for the artist.
“My drawing style is often described as being markedly ‘Asian,’” the artist told Foundation for Asian-American Independent Media. “Actually, I started drawing because I watched so much anime as a child. To this day, there are notable vestiges of that influence in my work. A lot of my work is concerned with my identity, as a queer person, as a femme-bodied person, as a bi-racial person. As such, I strive for my work to resonate with folks who struggle with similar facets of themselves.”
The artist, who obtained a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art & Design, is currently a resident tattooer at Gastown Tattoo Parlour in Vancouver. Pieces by the artist will soon appear in shows at Spoke Art in San Francisco and Last Rites Gallery in NYC.
Many a Grimm Brothers tale can be unraveled to find disturbing characters, stark truths, and other less-than-pleasant — and definitely not kid-friendly — themes. It’s one thing to discover these wicked twists and another to bring them to life. In his “Modern Grimm” series, 
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Though the creatures of Claudio Romo are bizarre and at times, frightening, the illustrator’s distinct linework gives each a certain elegance. The Chile-based artist has produced a number of books carrying his strange monsters and plantlife (among them, the beautifully titled “The Book of Imprudent Flora”). Through often carrying no specific timeline, his practice has also extended into the futuristic, as evidenced below.