Photography by: Ivan Flores
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Finishing Touches

Here Ivan captures tattoo artist Soraya, at work in one of her many temporary studios in Kabul, Afghanistan. Soraya became the first female tattoo artist in Afghanistan who practices modern tattooing (as opposed to khaal which had been practiced for hundreds of years). Soraya began tattooing in Kabul in 2018, having trained in Iran and Turkey. Her story reflect the tumultuous history of the region. Born in Iran in the 1990, a result of her Afghani parents escaping Afghanistan’s civil war, she returned with her parents to Kabul in 2002 following the US invasion. Under the US occupation Soraya, like many young Afghanis, existed in the middle of an intense culture clash between the deeply conservative Afghani society of the past and the freedoms of western society.

Due to harassments and safety concerns, including being denounced on television by a cleric, Soraya constantly moved her tattoo shop, relying on social media to meet and coordinate with clients, eventually opening a beauty shop with her two sisters.

Ivan Flores, Finishing Touches, 2021. Digital Photograph. ©Ivan Flores. All rights reserved.

Kabul, Afghanistan: Marina smiles as she watches Soraya put the finishing touches on her tattoo.

Soraya/Ivan Flores

@ivanflr

Soraya


Soraya is an Afghan nail and tattoo artist who trained in Iran and Turkey.
 

Ivan Flores


Ivan is a photographer previously based out of Kabul, Afghanistan where he covered conflict, political, and social issues. His work has been published in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, NPR, The Guardian, and numerous other publications.

He has attended the Eddie Adams Workshop, Barnstorm XXX, The New York Times Institute, and is also a RISC graduate. Ivan holds a Masters in Journalism from the CUNY Journalism school in New York City and is a Report For America corps member.

Currently Ivan is the staff photographer at the Texas Observer, covering issues ranging from Indigenous Affairs, Environmental Justice, Civil Rights and Criminal Justice.

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