Original over generic.
References are a beginning, not a design. Custom work should carry the idea without looking like somebody else’s tattoo.
INDEPENDENT SINCE 2011
Built to leave a mark. Not chase one.
Argus did not begin with a branding exercise. It began with a tattooer, a machine and a room in Antwerp’s old centre.
Sticky Stef opened the shop that carried his name at Lange Koepoortstraat 40. Over the years, it became more than one artist’s address. Other hands joined the tables. Different styles entered the room. The shop developed its own character: professional without being polished into anonymity, serious about the work without taking itself unbearably seriously.
The move to Diksmuidelaan 156 in Berchem marked the next chapter. A new neighbourhood called for a name broad enough to hold the whole studio. Argus carries Stef’s heritage forward through four artists with four unmistakably different visual languages.
Sticky Stef brings old-school structure and neo-traditional depth. Taco Bals sees blackwork through the eyes of a painter and birdwatcher. Jarrat builds movement from Japanese imagery, manga and anime. Becky Dee brings Chicagoland colour, traditional punch and new-school wit.
What binds them is not one aesthetic. It is an approach.
Look closely. Draw properly. Be honest about what will work. Respect the body, the client and the fact that this image is meant to stay.
Advice over agreement.
A good tattoo artist does more than say yes. Expect honest guidance on placement, scale, detail and what will age well.
Different by design.
The artists at Argus do not imitate a house style. Their differences put each idea in the right hands.
Open by nature.
Every body enters on equal terms. Argus is proudly LGBTQ+ friendly: respectful, curious and free of judgement.
THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM
Four artists.
One watchful name.
Different lives, references and visual instincts. One shared belief that a client should feel heard before the machine starts talking.
See the team together on Instagram ↗
MANY EYES. NO BORROWED POINT OF VIEW.