They Tattoo, They DJ, They Chisel Anime Zombies Out of Marble: Meet Angel Flesh

While it’s not uncommon to fall into the tattoo-artist-turned-DJ pipeline, sculpting anime-inspired figures out of marble feels like a sharp left turn. Zoé Kowalyk — who works under the name Angel Flesh — doesn’t seem particularly interested in what’s expected of them, or their craft, anyway.

In their work, they combine classical marble busts with cute, plump, knock-kneed anime-robot feet. Tombstone-shaped faces with wide, cartoonish eyes are engraved directly into stone. A slab of marble doesn’t resolve into a noble Roman emperor, but into a zombie wearing girlish underwear, bones jutting awkwardly through the leg holes. Underneath it, as a separate stone: a pleated skirt carved with the number five (APOC store, come get this stuff), rendered in a monumental block of rock. It feels like a genderfluid, Frankensteined splice of 2026 pop culture, executed in one of the most technically demanding and historically loaded materials imaginable. Who even thinks to do that?

Whatever medium Zoé turns to, they throw themselves into it with complete and utter devotion. Their tattoos are distinctly contemporary — highly graphic compositions that mix swirly fonts with crisp sans-serifs to spell out playfully ironic, Y2K-inflected MySpace vernacular (“2 good 2 b 4gotten” type stuff). Here, too, they merge a craft-based discipline with a pop-culture-driven sensibility. I spoke to Zoé about working with stone, moving between tattooing, DJing, and sculpture, and what it means to fuse ancient techniques with hyper-contemporary references.

Can you tell me about your sculptures? How did you get into working with stone?
I’ve always been very into manual crafts. Right out of high school, I got a degree in fresco, where they taught me the ancient way, and whereI was also developing my creativity. After that, I wanted to dig deep into another technical niche, and that’s how I landed on stone masonry. Stone was the only material I felt I couldn’t use without a proper course on it, so I started an apprenticeship for a year, which soon became three years. I had a master teaching me everything… It’s a very technical and traditional course, and I learned how to build walls and staircases, how to lay pavement… I think it’s meaningful to me to implement contemporary ideas into ancient techniques, making hybrid creations that mix up eras and references. 

Are the anime figures you’re drawn to more about internet culture references, or is it specifically anime that excites you? What is it about them that pulls you in?
I grew up reading and drawing a lot of manga, then later watching a lot of anime. Because of that it’s definitely a huge reference to me, and a culture I relate to. When I first started art classes in high school, I was taught that you can’t get into art schools by presenting manga drawings or manga-related work, which made me feel super self-conscious and ashamed of the love I had for it. Once I got in, it felt very important to re-explore it in my work, creating pieces that would reference it through a new lens. It felt important to put it back on the pedestal I had given it during childhood. I also acquired a huge collection of hentai & anime figures that I consider to be more of an art collection than a toy one. I’m moved by the very binary depiction of gender in the manga I consumed, that is also perpetrated through waifus or hentai. It’s always been hard for me to relate to any of it, although it sparks a deep empathy, some amusement, and a lot of interest. The entire aesthetic around anime and manga is so rich, and since it’s a medium I consumed so much through my life, it would be hard and counterproductive not to use and reference it through my work.

How would you describe the overarching goal of your combined work, in your own words?
I feel my main goal is to create accessible and sensitive pieces: in all of my practices, I aim for everyone to have a good time. I feel my main aesthetic is just love and fun. Then I believe my main ambition is centered on renewal. Renewal of the view we hold of certain practices and crafts, renewal of their limits, renewal of the interest we give them.

What came first for you: tattooing, DJing, or your more “formal” art practice, stonemasonry?
I believe all my practices manifested all at once, but had been brewing in me since I was young. I’ve been crazy obsessed with tattoos since I was eleven. DJing began around age fourteen. I was obsessed with curating playlists and showing music to my friends, thinking about the best order possible, looking out for reactions, finding the best way to make people dance… I think DJing kind of fell into my lap because it really allowed me to tap into that obsession. I was taught how to DJ in a squat by some amazing people, and a friend of mine showed me the basics of handpoking around that same time, too. I started practicing both in my bedroom until I was good enough to play live and tattoo in a proper studio. Both of these practices I’ve entertained while creating fresco & artworks, so I think they’ve always cohabited with my more “formal” art practice. The three of them have always kinda fed each other; they feel like three ways of expressing the same feelings. 

Do you see yourself primarily as one over the others?
Sometimes one medium is more fitting than the other, but all of them are very useful. Whenever I’m introducing myself to someone, I sometimes choose one practice over the other depending on the person in front of me and on the context. But at the end of the day they’re all practices that define me and I wouldn’t feel whole without one of them.

Are there any parallels between sculpting and building a DJ set or making a tattoo?
My creative process is always divided into two parts: there’s a first surge of emotions, shapes, and ideas that I get out of my system very abruptly, then there’s a whole process of perfecting the image of that emotion. In all of these fields, there’s this out-of-breath creative moment that I start with, that feels like when you rapidly write down what just happened in your dream so you don’t forget about it, and then a perfection stage later, where I let it breathe and then I clean it all up. When DJing, I always have a first session where I’ll put some songs together and try to find a new harmony. I usually leave that draft alone for at least one night, then go back to it to figure out if the feeling was right. Then I’ll make some adjustments with a clear mind. 

What’s been keeping you excited lately?
I’ve been reading a book, Croire au Black Metal, which is a collection of texts by various writers. It includes a beautiful extract of Tonight It’s a World We Bury: Black Metal, Red Politics by Bill Peel, where he writes about rotting, life, and reincarnation. It really put words on feelings I’ve had for the longest time, which felt very reassuring and exciting.

It’s very motivating for me to see my friends and partner moving forward with their practices. It’s my first year where I’m not either studying or working a “corporate” job, so I feel very excited to experience this kind of unpredictable time… I’m just starting now to try and sell my artworks, which is an exciting prospect to look forward to. Overall, I’m a very excited person, about all the books waiting to be read, all the movies waiting to be watched, all the places waiting to be visited.. about life waiting to be lived.

Your tattoos feel very rooted in lettering and graphic design. Do you have a background in graphic design, and are there specific inspirations you have there?
The importance of lettering happened by chance. I got tired of tattooing lines, so I tried to find a style that had some texture and greywash involved. I landed on lettering as well as other drawing styles, but the demand for lettering instantly got very big, so I followed into that niche. My favourite graphic designer ever is Tadanori Yokoo, but I think my biggest references might be unconscious ones that I cultivated since childhood. I’ve also been a big fan of Jenny Holzer’s work, and I think she’s played a big part in my love for lettering and stone work as well.

 What’s your DJstyle like right now – do you go for specific genres or fluctuate through a lot? How is the curating process for you?
My DJ styles vary a lot depending on the setting. For radio shows, I tend to explore whatever style I’m listening to at the moment. I picture these shows rather as diary entries, where emotions and styles fluctuate depending on how I’m feeling, what I’ve recently experienced, what songs I’ve discovered. For example, for my Rinse France show, I mashed up tracks I listened to in Japan with songs I found on CDs I bought there. It creates these really nice postcard-like sets, a way of catching up on what I’ve been through. Moreover, I think whenever I build a set, I need to feel excited or else it feels useless. I want to create sets full of emotions, I want them to be funny, weird, charming…

And what’s your favourite song at the moment?
I rarely have only one favorite song, it’s more of a rotation. Recently, I’ve been loving Capote by Dayarga, Consider Your Position by Train Breaks Down, and I’ve been streaming They’re Gutting A Body of Water’s new album LOTTO, although there are many more.  Funnily enough, I don’t listen to a lot of music day-to-day, otherwise I get too into it and end up bumping into people. I listen to music the most while I’m tattooing.

What are your earliest memories of being aware of music?
I have this beautiful childhood memory of my mother playing to me whenever I got ill and had to stay home. Her bed was on this mezzanine above her piano room and I would lie in her bed, and she would stay home with me and play while I slept. It was like the music was boiling from underneath me, like the house was birthing the music. It’s such a precious memory, filled with a feeling of musical vibration, mixed with actual fever.

That’s lovely. I have a similar memory of hearing the piano downstairs when I would put my head underwater in the bathtub! What do you take from each field you work in?
With tattooing, I’ve really developed my social skills, my ability to be a good listener. Then stone sculpting really taught me about rigor. No step in the process is easier than the other. Every single step requires your full attention and focus. It taught me a lot about self-discipline.  I think DJing really teaches me to downplay situations, to improvise, not take myself too seriously, and force myself to have fun. I think it’s a great tool to learn how to manage stress and last-minute problems.

What would you say they have in common?
All of my practices are connected by the fact that they all require patience. I believe there’s a search for harmony and beautiful compositions in all of my fields of work – in each field, there’s this search for a notion of truth. Both stonemasonry and tattooing really shifted my perception of bodies and volumes in space, which helped my notion of composition, and both made it easier to recognise if something is straight or crooked, if it’s the best scale and placement. Overall, it taught me to really take a step back and look at the bigger picture. 

And what inspires you outside of these disciplines?
I’ve recently felt very moved by architecture, which is new but rooted in family for me. My father, who died when I was two, was an architect. He left us a beautiful house in his hometown in Picardie, France. I got the chance to live there for a little while this September, and it really shifted my view on architecture, which I now believe to be closer to sculpture than I thought it was. Being in this house really made me feel like exploring the insides of a giant animal, with all the wooden beams looking like the ribs and skeleton of the house. I feel all of it inspired me with layering, perspective, and a combination of materials.
I believe my biggest breakthroughs and sources of inspiration either come from nature or from conversations with my loved ones. I feel very inspired by my family, my partner and my friends… All of their works, the poetry they create in all of their fields, even in non-artistic settings. And then another massive inspiration for me comes from any type of art made for children. I love how accessible and playful it is; it’s really something I want to convey in my own work.

Do you have a hard time sticking to one medium? Do you also fluctuate through passions in other parts of your life?
Not really nowadays! As a child, my sister used to make fun of me, because I kept trying stuff out and never stuck to one of them. I believe I need to feel challenged in a specific way by a medium in order to practice it continuously. I need enough complexity and mystery for those levels to seem unattainable. I think there’s definitely a lot of constant movement in my taste. I’m a very curious person, so I tend to be very open to new experiences, foods and knowledge. I feel that traveling for tattooing really developed my taste for change, spontaneity and newness.

Has the internet shaped your taste, or helped you find your people?
100%. I used to spend all of my free time on my mom’s computer as a kid, even more time than I spend now. I actually used it so much that one day the ventilation system melted.

I think because of that, the vast majority of my references I’ve either found out about on the internet, or were birthed by it. I feel that my brain is completely stained by internet ideas and references from that time.. Today I can’t spend a tenth of the time on my computer as I did when I was a kid. An hour staring at a screen is enough to make me super dizzy once I start staring at the real world again.

What do you obsess over that most people would never notice?
In all of my practices, there’s a great sense of detail that I can really get into, where almost no one would realize the issues I obsess over. I work on myself in order to let go and accept the little mistakes. Then, more personally, I think that being genderfluid, there are a lot of times when gender dysphoria drives me crazy, even though it’s often unnoticeable.

What’s something you only do when no one’s watching?
Maybe singing and playing instruments? I feel very shy when asked to sing in front of others, but I sing a lot when I’m on my own. There are a few songs I go back to that I can belch out for a moment; it’s very therapeutic. Playing instruments also feels very intimate to me. Playing the guitar makes me feel like I’m more naked than when I’m naked. Otherwise, there’s not a lot that I don’t share with either my family, my partner, or my friends. I’m very comfortable around people I know, so I don’t hide much.

If you weren’t doing all of this, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
There are a lot of practices that I find interesting and would eventually love to tackle, like working with flowers or creating food installations. In another life, I’d also love to open a nice store, where I can curate nice clothes and objects… My partner and I also danced around the idea of opening an art gallery not too long ago. But all of these ideas are still very connected to art and feel quite attainable. There’s no field on the complete opposite side of the job-spectrum that I envy. I feel very in-sync with my choices and my career path, and it makes the journey more hopeful and lucid. Art to me is kind of a life or death situation, where if I weren’t doing this, I think I’d be dead. I’m very grateful that I found this path and that I get to live such a truthful life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.