A local of the Balearic Islands within the Mediterranean Sea, Fernando Cardona got here into this world in 1994.
Fernando Cardona, additionally known as Ego Sum Lux Mundi, has been tattooing since 2017. His physique of labor, which incorporates line artwork tattoos, presents a contemporary interpretation of mythology and spiritual imagery. Cardona doesn’t choose Greek mythology archetypes arbitrarily; as a substitute, his enduring enthusiasm for artwork historical past impressed him to pursue a level within the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage on the College of Barcelona. It’s possible that he can be employed in a museum, the place he can be accountable for the preservation or curation of artwork.
As a tattooer, he revitalizes traditional narratives which can be per common human experiences, comparable to love, anguish, heroism, and extra, spanning from the myths of Medusa to Icarus, and breaks down every character to its most elementary type via line drawing. Typically explaining the that means and tales of the visuals in his tattoo flash sheets and on Instagram posts. Cardona’s portfolio additionally packs Japanese motifs like koi and dragons, in addition to Christian symbols like cherubs, angels, and crosses.
Initially from the Spanish island of Menorca, Fernando Cardona now shares his time between Barcelona and London, England. Rising up within the Nineties, he was influenced by Japanese manga and the shortly growing Web, which impressed his edgy, youthful aesthetic. Be taught extra about Cardona on this unique Scene360 interview.
The weeping Virgin Mary might replicate on divine unhappiness for human sin and struggling.
You employ the Latin phrase “Ego sum lux mundi,” which interprets to “I’m the sunshine of the world,” taken from the Bible. It is usually your alias.
Sure, Ego Sum Lux Mundi has develop into my creative alias, although I didn’t initially select it with that intention. I first got here throughout the phrase in highschool, whereas learning Catalan Romanesque artwork. We have been analyzing the fresco “Apse of Sant Climent de Taüll,” the place Christ Pantocrator [the central subject] is proven holding a guide with the phrases “Ego sum lux mundi.” That picture and sentence left a deep impression on me; it felt highly effective, sacred, and symbolic. Once I created my Instagram account, I selected that identify with out figuring out it might later symbolize my tattoo work. Over time, it gained new layers of that means. At the moment, it displays my want to convey historical tales, symbols, and non secular concepts into the current via a recent visible language.
A torso composition that includes varied historical Greek and Christian imagery.
You studied conservation and restoration of cultural heritage at college, however didn’t pursue it as a profession. What occurred?
Throughout my college years, I had already began tattooing as a passion. My unique plan was to proceed learning after commencement, and I severely thought of pursuing a grasp’s diploma in conservation or artwork historical past. However, as I neared the completion of my research, I spotted that working in restoration wasn’t as thrilling or creatively fulfilling as I had initially imagined. The work felt too inflexible and too technical, and I began to crave a extra private and expressive approach to join with artwork.
Over time, tattooing grew to become extra critical for me. I started to journey, meet different artists, and see how this medium may merge all the things I beloved: drawing, symbolism, historical past, and storytelling. So, I adopted this path as a substitute. I’m very grateful for what I discovered at college, because it formed how I method my artwork and allowed me to construct one thing that really felt like my very own.
Of the three classical orders that originated in historical Greece, probably the most decorative is the Corinthian column.
Classical Antiquity, encompassing historical past, mythology, and faith, is a shared curiosity of yours, and also you delve into the depths of understanding the symbolism behind the imagery.
Since I used to be a teen, I’ve felt an intense curiosity for historical cultures, not solely their aesthetics, but additionally their methods of thought and beliefs. Mythology, faith, and symbolic artwork all the time appeared like portals into how individuals from the previous made sense of the world. In college, I deepened this curiosity via artwork historical past, and significantly via programs on iconography. Later, once I started tattooing, I spotted that physique artwork may develop into a type of storytelling, a approach to convey again these historical symbols and provides them new life on the pores and skin. I get pleasure from researching particular characters, objects, or scenes and deciphering them via my visible language. Sharing these layers of that means with my shoppers or on-line followers feels necessary. It’s like maintaining a small a part of our shared cultural reminiscence alive.
Though Medusa’s story is tragic, her illustration serves as a talisman—a protecting signal. It stays a well-liked alternative amongst these searching for Fernando Cardona’s tattoos.
Are you able to determine a selected mythology or spiritual motif that you just favor for tattooing?
Actually, all the things I draw is one thing I’d like to tattoo; that’s all the time the start line. But when I had to decide on one design that really stands out, it might be Icarus. It’s the motif I’ve tattooed probably the most, and I by no means get uninterested in it. The story, the parable, and its that means are timeless and deeply fascinating to me. Alongside Icarus, I’m additionally drawn to figures like Atlas, whose delusion speaks to resilience and burden, and Medusa, filled with magical and protecting symbolism. These characters carry wealthy layers of narrative and that means, which makes them splendid topics to reinterpret via tattooing.
Fernando Cardona’s sketch of Icarus with fragments of his story.
Are you extra snug doing visitor spots at studios than taking part in conventions?
I really feel extra snug doing visitor spots at studios, as they permit me to focus deeply on every tattoo in a quiet, intimate setting, and I get to attach higher with the shoppers and the artists I’m working alongside. Conventions, however, might be thrilling, however they’re typically noisy, fast-paced, and a bit chaotic. It’s more durable to pay attention, and there’s much less room for significant interplay. Additionally, I are typically extra introverted, so the vitality of conventions might be fairly overwhelming for me. That stated, I respect each codecs, however visitor spots are the place I really feel actually at house, each artistically and personally.
In Roman legend, a she-wolf rescued twins Romulus and Remus, whom she fed till a shepherd got here alongside and raised them.
You journey rather a lot. What are your prime locations to go to, and the way do you have got the vitality for a lot touring?
My prime areas in Europe would undoubtedly be London, for its vitality and openness, and Barcelona, the place I’m partly based mostly and all the time really feel at house. I’ve just lately been touring via Asia, and I have to say that Seoul left an enormous impression on me. First, it was the honesty and powerful connection I felt with the tattoo neighborhood there, their authenticity, and creativity. Moreover, I used to be impressed by the general way of life and the way straightforward all the things feels in Korea.
As for the vitality, it comes from ardour. I genuinely get pleasure from what I do, and every journey seems like a mixture of work and inspiration. It’s exhausting typically, but it surely additionally retains me motivated, curious, and continually studying. I consider motion is an integral a part of my inventive rhythm.
The tattooer accomplished this belly piece in London inside two days of coming back from a visitor spot in Korea. Subsequently, he traveled to Barcelona for different classes, as that is his methodology of life and apply.
Earlier than the interview, you expressed a want to go to Seattle, Oregon.
I’m actually drawn to Seattle’s present inventive scene, in addition to its wealthy musical previous, and let’s not neglect, I’m an enormous espresso lover! There’s one thing concerning the metropolis that feels each rooted and forward-thinking, which makes it an interesting place for any artist.
Moreover, I’m lucky to know Federico Tronconi, who runs his personal studio, FineTattoo Studio Seattle. We first met a few years in the past on the island of Mallorca. Later, he moved to Zurich, and we’ve saved in contact ever since, following one another’s paths via the tattoo world. I’ve all the time admired the imaginative and prescient and care he places into his area, so now that he’s opened his personal studio in Seattle, it seems like a pure subsequent step to reconnect and collaborate there. Sharing this journey with a long-time good friend in a totally new setting appears like the proper mixture, one which’s each creatively enriching and personally significant.
Woman Justice in Greek mythology is usually linked to goddess Themis, whereas Cerberus, guardian of the underworld, is represented by three-headed canine.
Lastly, some lesser-known details about you.
Despite the fact that I share lots on-line, many individuals can be stunned to understand how introverted and quiet I truly am in actual life. Social media typically showcases only one facet of our personalities—the one which creates, shares, and promotes—however behind that, I’m somebody who deeply values silence, calmness, and time for reflection. Additionally, many are unaware that I’m captivated with gardening and watching vegetation develop. It retains me grounded.
Images © Fernando Cardona
