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AZ Zhang

@az.inkz

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天沉心清 ₊⁺✧.⋆˖ ࣪ @serpentsongtattoo
oakland, california
• now booking 2027 •

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: @az.inkz

Ariana, who goes by their initials, AZ, is a lover of dualities. Their tattoos are made in the in-betweens: powerful and soft, reverent and joyful, bold and precise.

AZ inks in service of the human body and spirit. Topics of interest and inspiration include Chinese cosmology and philosophy, cultural patterns and heritage design, and all things spiky and poisonous.

AZ will be leading our new location opening in Temescal this fall by @az.inkz

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2 months ago

Arm yourself; protect your mind ⛓️

@tattorren is tough as nails and we were able to knock this out in a single afternoon! Thank you for letting me do my first head tat on you, and for being gracious enough to let me give you the wonkiest shave of all time 🔥

(My tattooing skills are decent, but it’s clearly time to work on my barbering.) taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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5 months ago

Flames rising from the heart space ❤️‍🔥

Huge thanks to Emma for their strength and dedication through the process ❤️🖤 I am grateful every day for the opportunity to do this work!

Booking October-November for Oakland @serpent_song and then I’m headed out for adventuring again until February 2026! Get in my books for fall. It would be an honor to ink you 🍂🖤 taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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a year ago

Tummy flames for @cuyatattoos 🖤

Banging out these flames fire me up. Let’s make some more 🔥 I’m currently booking for 2027 in the Bay Area.

Done @serpentsongtattoo 🌀 taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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16 days ago

🌀 Coming to 5026 Telegraph Ave Oakland this Autumn…Serpent Song Tattoo

Tattooing is a time-honored human practice shared across the world. Just as in the days of Old, today the choice to be tattooed evokes personal experience, self determination, and participation in ancestral linage.

Established in 2020, our mission at Serpent Song Tattoo is to foster a future centered around human creativity and interconnectedness and honor the history and integrity of our practice. Our artists craft each tattoo with intention and skill; created to make each bearer feel more authentic in their skin. We believe that tattooing is not merely a transactional act of service, but a transformative process of radical self expression.

Opening in the Autumn of 2026 at 5026 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, we will be offering cultural tattooing, body piercing, esoteric goods, and folk arts. See ya’ll there 🤘 by @az.inkz

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a month ago

吾向日飘行 ✴︎ seal script but make it wiggly wavy

My favorite lettering tattoos are the ones that are illegible in a cool way

For friend and fellow artist @youngsweetcorn 🌽 taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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2 months ago

Lots of big works in progress 🖤 thank you to my kind, cool, tough clients for being down to climb mountains of pain in order to elevate the self. It’s an honor to witness you all :’) taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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2 months ago

Asymmetrical seal stamps honoring Lyra’s Chinese and Japanese heritage. Drawn by hand as usual – every character is researched and carved with knowledge and intent.

I love to do this work for my clients seeking to honor their family roots through names and other texts. Whether we speak the language fluently or not, these characters are gifts given to us by those who named us and those who came before them. Creating hanzi/kanji/hanja tattoos in these contexts is so touching to me, and always leads me down historical and linguistic rabbit holes every time I research a character’s evolution during the design process. I’ve been deeply considering how I want to scale up this concept into larger, anatomically guided tattoos, and am working on some ideas and drawings to share on the topic soon 🖤

Made with @wednesdaymachine machines~ taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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2 months ago

Skull of the dragon 🐉💀 blacks and some greys healed, with some fresh smoke and skull shadows.

Thank you @alextudoras_ for coming to me with such a cool idea, and for being so down to scale up for your first larger scale tattoo! Going big is the best long-term protection for tattoos – it ensures that your design stays readable without having to compromise on the juicy details that add so much character.

Thank you Alex for letting me cook 👩🏻‍🍳 it was such a pleasure to tattoo you!

Made at @serpentsongtattoo 🐍

#skulltattoo #blackandgreytattoo #bayareatattoo by @az.inkz

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3 months ago

靠主刚强 • 周代篆书
thank you @dustindavidchu 🪽 taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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3 months ago

Trad(ish) swallow for sweet homie @leonjetwan 🩶 adapted from a Sailor Jerry painting, this tattoo is actually a coverup of a super goofy little hand tat I did when I just started tattooing. I do not care to share the original tattoo, so I’ll let you search for it on your own in the photo. Good luck 🍀

Thank you Leon for being stoked to have me cover my own work and letting me show off my skills now that I have some 😝 friends let you do rough tats on them, best friends let you cover your own work later when you can’t bear to look at it anymore 💗

#traditionaltattoo #handtattoo #sailorjerrytattoo #bayareatattoo taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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3 months ago

Work in progress on the toughest and coolest Jaz ⛓️💖 these multi-session pieces require patience, and sitting for longer days is no joke (though session length is flexible, and we never push to tattoo longer than anyone wants to be there), so I’m always deeply appreciative of the people who choose to get big work from me. It is what I love to do 💗

I’m now booking my last remaining dates of 2026 in Oakland. I only have about 8 weeks total that I’ll be available to tattoo, from mid-September to mid-October, and a few weeks in December. Ideas of all shapes and sizes are welcome! Priority will go toward finishing already-started work, return clients, and beginning large-scale projects with new clients.

If you’ve already reached out, I see you, and I’ll be in touch soon 🖤

@serpentsongtattoo 🐍

#blackworktattoo #chaintattoo #wip #bayareatattoo taken in Oakland, California by @az.inkz

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3 months ago