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Born in a small town, outside of Milan, Italy, LUGOSIS, is a multidisciplinary artist whose work seamlessly blends the realms of tattoo artistry, street art, and illustration. From an early age, he exhibited a profound affinity for visual expression, often turning the walls of his family home into canvases for his burgeoning creativity. This early passion laid the foundation for a career that would see him traverse the globe, leaving his distinctive mark on both skin and cityscapes.
LUGOSIS’s artistic journey is deeply rooted in urban culture, drawing inspiration from the vibrant subcultures of Milan and the eclectic energy of Berlin, where he currently resides. His work is characterized by a unique fusion of graffiti aesthetics and tattoo artistry, resulting in a style that is both raw and refined. His characters—often whimsical, sometimes surreal—navigate the complexities of modern life, embodying themes of identity, rebellion, and transformation.
Throughout his career, LUGOSIS has collaborated with renowned brands such as Nike, Dr. Martens, and Montana Cans, bringing his distinctive visual language to a broader audience. Notably, his contribution to the Montana Black Artist Edition series featured his custom design on the Lambrate 7130 can, a nod to his Milanese roots.
Despite his international acclaim, LUGOSIS remains deeply connected to his origins. His art continues to reflect the dynamic interplay between personal experience and collective culture, serving as a testament to the enduring power of urban art to challenge, inspire, and transform.
Hi Luca, it’s a pleasure to sit down with you! First question, that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Berlin?
Luca: I usually get up somewhere between 7 and 9 am. I have a coffee first thing, cause like many others I can’t operate without it. I started to go to the gym a few years ago and I really like to start my days with a workout. If I don’t tattoo, I usually paint or sketch, depending on what’s on my schedule. If I have an exhibition or deadline coming up I sometimes work until very late at night or even five in the morning. I feel like I get more creative at night sometimes. Of course I like to make space to paint Graffiti throughout my week. Im very lucky because I always have cans at home (thanks to Montana Cans).
Let’s go back in time a little bit… Growing up in Milan, what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing and how did you spend your time?
Luca: I actually didn’t grow up in Milan, but in a small town not far from it. I grew up with my twin brother Strato who’s an artist too. Our parents always encouraged our creativity and let us paint always and everywhere, we were even allowed to paint the walls of our home. I think that’s because our mother is a painter herself. My dad was a truck driver so he sometimes took us on his work trips and we loved traveling on the road with him.
Did your family support your creativity, and how did they feel about you spending more and more time on the streets?
Luca: As I mentioned my parents were very supportive, my brother anyways —we still work together and I ask them for advice a lot. I think our mother was always kind of balancing being worried and encouraging our passion. She always stood up for us, even through the biggest bullshit.
I know that you began your artistic career with drawing. How did you get introduced to graffiti, and what is it about graffiti that makes it your preferred medium of expressing yourself?
Luca: A really good friend (Judas Kiss) once took my brother and me to paint graffiti. It was a completely new painting experience to go from a piece of paper to a whole wall and other stuff. I like the freedom of painting anywhere and the chance to paint in huge sizes.
Being that you were born and raised in Milan, how did you end up in Berlin?
Luca: I knew very early on that I wanted to leave my hometown. I felt like it wasn’t the place where I could grow and it bored me. I felt like I did everything possible for me at that time, so I moved to Milan and started my studies. After a while I started traveling for tattooing, at some point I felt like my studies didn’t make sense for me anymore, because I had fun tattooing and wanted to learn from people around Europe. I dropped out with only one exam left before graduation and I don’t regret it. Doesn’t mean I’m encouraging anyone to leave their studies but it worked out for me. I traveled around Europe, beeing in different cities every week, sleeping on a different couch. The tattoo business was booming here at that time, so it became my base. I didn’t think we’d stay that long but here I am still in Berlin, I think it’s been 8 or 9 years.
Has traveling as much as you do influenced your work in any way? If so, how?
Luca: Absolutely, I take my inspiration from life experience, youth culture, different subcultures and people I meet. If you’d only see my work without knowing anything else about me, you would know where I traveled or where I want to go.
Having spent a lot of time on the streets of Milan, and as you got older, all over the world. What are some of the most important lessons you have learned?
Luca: Don’t be scared to ask question. You can learn from people you meet, and there will always be someone who can bring value to your life. People and lives are so different wherever you go, it really made me appreciate what I have. The best things I bring back from my trips are friendships, connections and what I learn about different cultures.
Your tattoo, “Enfant Perdu”, meaning “lost child”, which you proudly display on your forehead. Can you talk to me a little bit about what it means to you? What’s the story?
Luca: Enfant Perdu used to be a nickname my friends from France gave me. I actually had my first tattoo guest spot in France with these people. It came up because I was traveling so much for a very long time. I was living on the road and didn’t have a proper base.
Through your work, you express your own reality, and you see beauty in the non-conventional, while being inspired by different characters, like weirdos and misfits. What is it about those topics that resonates with you?
Luca: My work is always about people and different biographies. I find the weird interesting. I my self am not living the most conventional life so I meet a lot of people who are “out of the ordinary”
With that in mind. I know that most of the cartoons you create have a deeper meaning behind them, than what appears at first glance. What are you aiming to convey? And what is it about cartoons, that resonates with you?
Luca: Through cartoons, I amplify reality with a humorous spin, making it bold and unmistakable. Their exaggerated style ensures clarity, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Cartoons provide a way to tackle intense, sorrowful, or violent themes in a softer, more approachable manner than videos or photographs.
Can you tell me about your creative process. From start to end result?
Luca: First I have to find an idea, sometimes it’s difficult, especially when it’s connected to a deadline. I usually take inspiration from everywhere I go and daily life, I start to write down notes of “my observations” of my surrounding. Im taking pictures of all kinds of stuff, this can be trash or a beautiful building. Then I start sketching. I love sketching, it’s probably my favourite part of the creative process. I like to create many of them and see the idea coming together and becoming the full picture. My next step is to choose particular parts of my sketches that fits the concept I am going for. I like to watch cartoons while doing that, to get into a certain mood.
You’ve had collaborations with some huge brands, such as Nike, Carhartt, Chinatown Market, Dr, Martens and Montana cans, to name a few. Do you ever feel pressure to deliver when you’re working with such big brands?
Luca: It makes me super happy that brands like this are willing to collaborate with me, because they like what I do. It get’s me very excited and I always want to give my best. Then there’s the business part wich luckily my fiancé takes care of. It’s always good to have someone helping out with that as an artist. What really gets me stressed out sometimes are the deadlines. I really enjoy to find a solution to the demands of a brief and try to push some new ideas that I think would be exciting not only for me but for a brand I work with.
So how did you get introduced to tattooing, and who tought you the craft?
Luca: Actually graffiti led me to tattooing. Since I got more and more known for my characters, other writers started to ask me about getting them tattooed. But my father really introduced it to us, most of his friends were full of tattoos and he had one himself. When we were young we got tattooed by this friend of him and we got hooked. In the beginning of our twenties my brother and I really wanted to get tattoos but couldn’t afford it, so we decided to get a machine, and just tattoo each other. I later met Uptown Danny, he’s a super talented tattooer from Hamburg, he basically taught me most about tattooing. I met him on my first guest spot in Lyon and then took me to Hamburg.
A couple of Years ago you had your first solo show, at Golden Hands Gallery, in Hamburg. titled “LIFE IS GOOD BUT THE GOOD LIFE IS BETTER”. How did that exhibition come about?
Luca: I had my first solo show with Golden Hands gallery in the summer of 2021 and it was a great experience. Before that I exhibited in little group shows. That exhibition made me understand that I really want to try and step a foot into the art world. I’m still working on that and it takes a while but I’m on it. Meanwhile I exhibited in Tokyo, Osaka and Taipei and I hope there’s more to come.
Ok Luca, now to something totally different. Outside of art, what’s something you’re obsessed with right now—maybe a hobby, a show, or even a food—that keeps you grounded or inspired?
Luca: That’s really difficult, because I think my whole life is connected to art, in a way where I really think about it 24/7 non stop. I always think about ideas and anything I’m obsessed with it is because I wanna create something. It could be music, nature, travelling, everything I experience. I love it because I can use it to make art.
I will even be looking at food thinking about how I can use it for my designs (the colors ,the forms etc).
Would you consider yourself a nostalgic person?
Luca: I will not consider myself nostalgic, I definitely love the stuff i grew up with, that helped me become who i am today, but I’m always looking forward, for new things that are coming, new ways of working and doing stuff. For example I love the way cartoons used to be drawn back in the days, but I also love to see how they work now and create amazing artworks using new techniques.
Can you tell me a story about a time when a connection with someone had a big impact on you?
Luca: One of the most important connections that I had was in Milan, with my crew member. With him I had years of living almost in symbiosis, we are like brothers.
I understood the meaning of graffiti and a certain lifestyle, how to be hungry and push to get what you want. We were painting all night, every night for years, since then I created connections with a lot of amazing people and started my journey and never left that mindset.
What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?
Luca: The quality that I find most important is respect, besides who you are and what you do in life, I think it’s really important to be respectful and kind to others, you never know what someone is going through and it costs nothing. I know it sounds like a cliche, but if you are nice, others will be nice to you. I find this really important, especially in the graffiti culture.
Who do you look up to and why?
Luca: I definitely look up to the big cartoonists like Walt Disney, Hayao Miyazaki or Chuck Jones. For me they belong to the biggest artists and creatives ever. What they achieved is something that only very few people are capable of. They were able to transform something that people perceived as childish into pure art and something meaningful. I look up to my crew members, that are always pushing the culture of graffiti and in life and are great artists as well.
What motivates you?
Luca: I always want to get better and push my work forward. I want to try and find new ways of creating and expressing my ideas better and better. It’s a never ending process and that keeps me going.
How would you describe a perfect day?
Luca: Being in a new place, meeting people, painting and enjoy some sun.
Alright Luca, it’s been a long one, and I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favourite movie(s) and why?
Luca: There are many movies I like and would watch over again, most of them are cartoons. The most impactful one must be Roger Rabbit, because of the approach of bringing cartoons into the real world. Another one would be Akira, that changed my point of view on cartoons and what is possible to express through it.
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
Luca: I can’t name just one song, but I listen different types of music. Some artists I’m listening to currently are Chief Keef, Asake, Natanael Cano.