Biography

Shani Nizan (born November 21, 1995), is an Israeli tattoo artist based in New York. She is best known for her 'Human-Animal' figures that she refers to as her 'Creatures'. Nizan was never trained as a formal painter, but she refined her skills by painting every day. At age 18, she joined the Israeli military as an educational NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) in the 601st Battalion of Combat Engineering. To pass the time during the long guarding duties, she would paint on her arm with a pen. The drawings went viral on Facebook and were applauded by an audience who believed they were tattoos. This sparked her tattooing career in 2017, and she studied under tattoo artist Anat Hetzrony. 

In 2018, Shani received a personal invitation from a leading art studio, owned by Julia Rehme in Berlin, for a permanent position. During that time, she simultaneously toured in Europe and was a guest artist in tattoo studios like Puro Milano, De l'Art ou Du Cochon in Paris, Through My Third Eye in London, Dots to Lines, and many others.

 

After working for two years in Berlin, Shani moved to New York City. Shortly after, she returned to Israel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, She presented a solo exhibition "I Didn't Like Jazz" at Beit Haamudim in Tel Aviv. In 2021, Nizan founded "Drinking and Drawing NYC". She currently works as a resident artist at Inked NYC, a globally renowned Manhattan-based tattoo studio and gallery established by Inked Magazine.