Jalen Frizzell

Bio

Jalen Frizzell is influenced by Blaxploitation movie posters of the ’70s, and the dynamics of life, death, and dreams. Tattooing since August 2015, her Jamaican-Canadian roots have motivated her to center Black people in her practice. Exploring methods of depicting Black hair textures with different applications of tattoo needles is one way she presents this—as well as exploring the portrayal of Black facial features through the lens of traditional tattoo drawing styles. She believes in tattooing as an instrument to heal ancestral and contemporary trauma. In her belief, this also happens by commenting on autonomy and challenging the accepted idea of whiteness as normalcy. She works with high saturation and incorporates heavy black into her designs—developing an approach to tattooing that will compliment all skin tones.