Artist of the Month - @show.o_

Show.O has spent the past decade leveling up from graphic designer and illustrator to tattoo artist and contemporary creator, now making waves from his base in Berlin.

At the center of it all? AKUMA©︎; His original character and creative alter ego, popping up across tattoos, prints, stickers, and sculptural work. It shifts, evolves, and reinvents itself depending on the medium, just like Show.O. Whether it’s inked on skin or sparkling as a Pixie Dust sticker, every piece pulls you into a world where creativity doesn’t sit still.

But this story didn’t start in Berlin. Long before the studios and the ink, there was a kid with a clear vision: live abroad, create something of his own, and make it his life. Today, that dream is already in motion. And instead of slowing down, he’s pushing it further, stretching it wider, digging it deeper.

So where does it go next? Let’s get into it!

StickerApp: Konnichiwa Show.O! It's a real treat to host you as the April Artist of the Month. Tell us about yourself: Who are you, and what are some of your biggest dreams in life?

Show.O: Thank you so much! My name is Show.O, a tattoo artist and graphic designer originally from Osaka, Japan.

I’ve lived in Osaka, London, Berlin, Sydney, and now I’m based in Berlin again for the last 7 years. My main work is tattooing, but I also create and exhibit my artworks and take on graphic design projects. I produce designs and artworks featuring my original character AKUMA©︎ a lot these days.

Since I was a kid, I have always dreamed about living abroad and making a living from something I created myself. In that sense, my dream is already in progress; I feel like I’m just continuing to expand how far and deep it can go at this point.

StickerApp: Awesome! Tell us about your creative journey. How did it begin?

Show.O: When I was a kid, I used to draw characters from manga and anime, sculpt characters out of clay, modify toys in my own way, and create my own comics and stories with original characters (almost the same as I do now).

I kept drawing throughout my childhood, and in high school, I started teaching myself design. Later, I went to university to study design, marketing, and advertising more seriously. At the time, I was also playing in bands, so I started designing logos, T-shirts, CDs, stickers, and flyers for my band and friends’ bands.

After graduating, I worked at a design company for a few years before becoming a freelancer and moving to London. After various jobs, countries, and places, I eventually became a tattoo artist, an industry I had been interested in since I was young, which is also closely connected to the culture that influenced me. I feel very lucky and happy that I ended up here.

StickerApp: Was there a critical moment in your career that changed everything?

Show.O: Yes, there have been a few: when I quit my job at a design company I worked for (with a terrible working environment), when I left Japan, and the day I started tattooing.

StickerApp: That's amazing! What drives you as an artist, and what advice would you give to new artists?

Show.O: Ideas come to me every day, and turning those ideas into designs or artwork is something I genuinely enjoy. They become tattoos, paintings, prints, stickers, logos, or T-shirts, literally anything — and quite often they turn into things I could never have imagined beforehand. That sense of excitement and discovery is what keeps me going.

A lot of my inspiration comes from Japanese and international street culture from the 90s and 2000s, as well as manga, anime, music, and urban art. I get inspired by nostalgic scenery, colors, buildings, memories, and experiences. Since moving abroad, I’ve also really enjoyed interpreting Japanese motifs in my own way.

I don’t feel like I’ve achieved anything huge yet, so I don’t think I’m in a position to give big advice. But when I look at the artists and people I respect, I realize that continuing is a very important thing. So I plan to keep doing what I want to do and expressing what I want to express, just as I have been.

StickerApp: How would you define your style, and what are your favorite techniques?

Show.O: I think my style is moving freely between different media without limiting myself to one method. I work with tattooing, painting, airbrushing, clay and ceramics, digital work, 3D, manga, and more. For each type of output, I try to enjoy the process and focus on creating expressions that only that medium can achieve.

StickerApp: Lovely! Tell us about the design of your April Thank You card: What was your inspiration?

Show.O: To reflect the feeling of April and the Sakura season in Japan, I decided on cherry blossoms, along with my AKUMA©︎ character, a dragon, vending machines, and other Japanese motifs.

I really like glittery and shiny materials; it reminds me of the rare Dragon Ball and Pokémon trading cards from my childhood. The Pixie Dust material on the Thank You card really brings me back to a childlike sense of excitement, so I hope you enjoy it <3

StickerApp: Why do you choose StickerApp as your sticker partner in crime, and how do you use stickers for your business and personal brand?

Show.O: The wide variety of materials, the precision of the cutting, the durability - all are great! The ordering process is simple and easy to understand, and the delivery is always very fast. I’m always grateful for your support and feel honored to work with you!

I hand out stickers to tattoo clients as a special gift, and I also place them in studios or places I like. I often also give them out to people I meet for the first time as a kind of business card, and people are always happy to receive them :)

StickerApp: Wow, thanks for the kind words! What are your goals for the future?

Show.O: I want to expand the world of my character AKUMA©︎ and create many more interesting works around it. I’d also like to travel to places I’ve never been before and tattoo and create art there.

I love stickers as a medium, so I’d be very happy if I could continue collaborating with you guys moving forward, and keep creating fun stuff together in the future <3

Thank you so much for chatting with us, Show.O! Keep up with Show.O, head over to his Instagram: @show.o_.