Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Vu Noir.
Hi Adam, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m the son of Vietnamese American refugees who settled in California in the 70s. My older brothers introduced me to gangster rap, sci-fi / horror movies, pro wrestling, and knuckle sandwiches. I spent an eternity being grounded. After school, I was glued to the TV watching Anthony Bourdain’s travels, I would daydream about traveling the world like him and being in his shoes. When I was 11, I was given a burnt CD of The Misfits Collection II and heard “Last Caress” for the first time. That changed my life forever. This led me to spending nearly a decade playing in punk bands and designing flyers for their shows. These were most likely all the catalysts as to why we are sitting here now.
When I was 16, I fell madly in love with tattooing and started hanging out at local studios and doing their shop labor in exchange for some tattoos. By 20, I was on a mission to make tattooing my career and thanks to early social media outlets and being denied by every studio in my surrounding area, I landed in a small town in Italy called Monterotondo where my friend Samez showed me the fundamentals. I later started and finished my apprenticeship under Jose Lopez in Fountain Valley, California at Lowrider Tattoo. After which I got the opportunity to work alongside my late mentor and friend NORM in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles for several years.
Tattooing was my ticket to explore the world, and I took every opportunity to do so. To do that, I sold off everything I had of monetary value when I turned 30 and accomplished my life’s goal of backpacking and tattooing on all seven continents. When I returned home to LA, I teamed up with the artists I had met on my travels and started STRANGELOVE LA, a pop-up tattoo studio for one month. I spent the following two years continuing my travels and living in Berlin, soaking up all the inspiration I could find. I saved up and did numerous pop-ups in different cities in the process. None of it was glamorous, at the start it was all DIY and as raw as could be. STRANGELOVE now has grown tremendously into a collective of artists that I feel defines LA tattooing; past, present, and future. Our permanent home in Los Angeles is where I currently work alongside some of my favorite artists and friends. Shoutout to Shinko, Eckeard, Em, Lopez, Redwood, Dmon, Mark, Gabe, Cade, and Conn. Can’t forget Michael either.
I just reached my 15th year of tattooing, I realize that my passion for the trade has led me to a deep love and obsession with creativity and art history. These days, I’m painting like a madman in between tattooing and spending my nights obsessively brainstorming what to do next.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life isn’t always smooth sailing. Many of us have experienced countless doors closing on us, but this makes us open new ones out of pure ambition and/or desperation. Life will put all sorts of characters in your way. The universe will throw obstacle courses at your feet. There’s no point to list or acknowledge them for myself though there are many. That’s just how it is and the perspective I have to keep as to not get lost in it. Those struggles are what shape you into the person you are. Adversity is the most fitting instrument to form character.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do? We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
You could ask me the same question in a few hours and you’ll probably get a different answer.
Half my week, I’m painting/making/fixing something and the other half I’m tattooing.
As broad as I can be, I think that my work deals with existential dread. It’s for me how I process my anxieties, insecurities, spiraling thoughts, and emotions. I would hope that others feel the same when they collect a tattoo or artwork from me but it’s all subjective isn’t it? There’s no real specific style I’m trying to convey, but you can ask me at a later time. I’m still just in the thick of it.
I’d like for people to draw their own conclusions about my strengths and weaknesses. I’m unsure truly. Defining ourselves by past successes or current specialties can lead to being less inclined to take risks and try new things, which can ultimately hinder growth. I loot from everything, take from everywhere, and at the same time, try to be sincere with all that I do.
I am aiming to have my first solo exhibition in 2024.
My wife is also having a baby in a few months so I got to make the adjustments to be the best father I can be as well. That’ll be the thing that’ll make me most proud. In the grand scheme of things, none of this other stuff really matters.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I personally love anything about ancient history, unexplained mysteries, plot twists, abandoned stuff, oddities, cold cases and overall weird stuff. There’s also a plethora of podcasts that rerun old-time radio programs I listen to regularly – suspense, detective, and horror stories. These don’t necessarily help me do my best in life but more or less make me paranoid and question everything. I should probably take a break from them but whatever.
I often get in my car and drive to hole-in-the-wall restaurants all around and will pull over anytime I see some street food getting made. I don’t know if that actually adds to my quality of life but it sure makes me happy finding funny things. If someone’s aunt or grandma is cooking something, you know it’s going to be good. And if the name of the restaurant is too hard to pronounce or little plastic red chairs are the seating arrangement, there’s a 50/50 chance that it’s amazing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adamvunoir.com
- Instagram: @adamvunoir
- Other: www.strangelovela.com
