ZaferAçıkgöz

Zafer Açıkgöz founded NEXA to work the way he always wanted to: one project at a time, drawn from scratch, with enough hours in the chair to finish properly. His background is in drawing and sculpture, and it shows in how he builds a tattoo — value first, detail last.

His signature work is photorealistic black and grey: portraits, classical sculpture, hands, animals and surreal compositions that wrap the arm or leg as a single image. Large projects are planned across several sessions so the skin recovers between them.

If you are looking for a realism tattoo artist in Istanbul for a sleeve, a portrait or a cover-up, Zafer's free consultation is the place to start. Sessions can be run in English.