Marisa Kakoulas is a New York–based writer, tattoo collector, and documentarian who has spent more than 25 years chronicling the art of tattooing. 

She is the author of six tattoo genre-focused hardcover volumes for Edition Reuss—Black Tattoo Art (Volumes 1 & 2), Color Tattoo Art, and Black & Grey Tattoo (Volumes 1–3)—each expansive and rooted in artist-driven narratives. She also curated and edited Tattoo World (Abrams Books), and has contributed to numerous publications dedicated to contemporary tattoo culture. Her writing has appeared regularly in Inked, Total Tattoo, and Skin & Ink, and she was the founder of the influential early tattoo platforms Needled.com and NeedlesandSins.com.

Marisa has consulted for cultural institutions, including the New York Historical Society (“Tattooed New York”), the Museum of Modern Art (“Items: Is Fashion Modern?”), the Brooklyn Museum (“Art, Sex, and Power: Tattooed Women Today”), and Belgium’s Cinquantenaire Museum (“Tatu-Tattoo”), connecting tattooing across art history and contemporary expression. 

Alongside her work in the arts, Marisa is a practicing attorney who began studying law while quietly breaking it—getting tattooed during New York City’s tattoo ban. She has lectured at law schools and tattoo conventions on the legal frameworks surrounding tattooing and is currently writing a book on the legal history of tattooing in America.