Birds & Signs
21 works · Traditional Korean symbolic motifs reinterpreted on skin.
Korean bird tattoos by Onsil: cranes carry longevity, peacocks prosperity, pheasants fortune and warding off evil, kingfishers purity, magpies good news, phoenixes peace and harmony, roosters the dawn, and eagles and hawks focus and strength. Onsil redraws each bird as a tattoo design for its wearer.
한국어로 보기 ▾
새 종류별로 상징이 다릅니다. 학은 장수, 공작은 부귀, 꿩은 액을 막고 복을 부르는 길상, 물총새는 청정, 까치는 좋은 소식, 봉황은 평화와 조화, 닭은 새벽과 벽사, 매와 독수리는 집중과 힘을 담습니다. 온실은 이 새들을 한 분을 위한 타투 도안으로 그립니다.
The Works
From the tradition
The motifs in this collection are drawn from the classical iconography of Korean folk and literati painting traditions — minhwa, sa-ui, and munin-hwa — practiced over centuries by anonymous artisans and scholar-painters.
Each work in Birds & Signs traces its lineage to specific compositions familiar to Korean households, museums, and royal collections — interpreted now through the medium of skin.
