Hong Kong tattoo artist Mr Koo talks mental health and finding solace in art

My dad came from a good family and his father was pretty wealthy, but dad was a big spender, so it didn’t pass down to my brother and me. My parents emigrated (from Hong Kong) to Canada in the 1980s, and I was born in Toronto in 1990. My parents split up when I was two, but they continued to live together and, when I was four, we moved back to Hong Kong. For a while the family lived together with my grandfather and aunt. My dad was a playboy, so I never saw much of him growing up. My aunt, who is a psychology professor, kicked my mum out of the house, then it was just my aunt and me, and she raised me.

Bouncing around

It was probably hard to raise me because I had every learning disability in the book. I have crazy ADHD, I’m always bouncing around talking and trying to do stuff. I was kicked out of every school I went to. They didn’t understand how to deal with my learning disability, so they just found an excuse to kick me out.

The bully

The first time I was arrested for stealing I was 12. I guess I was rebelling against the people who kept trying to get me to conform to society, and probably also my family situation. My aunt only talked about school stuff – there was no family love. I found family in friends, but they didn’t treat me the best. I was getting bullied, and I was bullying people.

Falling in love

I got my first tattoo when I was 14. I went to Ricky Tattoo in Wan Chai because Ricky was a legend. I was drinking and partying hard. When I was 16, I went to Delia International School. That was life-changing for me because I found a good group of people who steered me away from the bad crowd. In 2008, I asked a tattoo-artist friend for a tattoo. He said, “You know how to draw, why don’t you tattoo yourself?” So, my second tattoo I did on myself on my 18th birthday. That was when I fell in love with the art of tattoo.

A better man

I spent two years at Raffles Design Institute in Hong Kong. I found the design work easy, so I just hung out all day. After a lot of drugs and alcohol, my health got really bad. In 2009, I moved to Canada. I wanted to change my environment. I’ve always known that if I change my environment, I can make myself a better person. I decided never to touch alcohol again and have been sober since 2009.

Ink and water

I went to Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. My aunt paid my school fees and I got odd jobs to pay for my living expenses, from cooking to teaching rock climbing. I opened my first tattoo shop in 2015, Ink & Water. As a foreign kid in my early 20s trying to start a business, no one would rent to me. It is easier when you have a white face in the industry to help push it, so I brought in a good friend.

Fame and misfortune

I realised the tattoo industry has always catered to big butch guys, hard-core people who like metal, but the bigger market is females, looking at it as a fashion or beauty accessory. So, I started doing micro tattoos – small, detailed feminine tattoos. My clientele was 99 per cent women. My clientele was the super-rich, a lot of celebrities. I was working 12 to 15 hours a day, but after a couple of years my health started getting bad. It was only when I was working that I didn’t feel sick.

Oh brother

Every year we opened another shop. By the time the pandemic hit in 2020, we had five shops, including one in New York. Everything slowed down during the pandemic. I’ve never been sicker. I was on a liquid diet. I couldn’t drive, I lost my mind. I didn’t know where I was any more and was having panic attacks daily, which led to suicidal thoughts. My brother came back to help me.

Release from the pain

On a daily basis I was on a 9/10, from nerve pain, back pain, neck pain. I was thinking of ending everything and getting medically assisted suicide. In Canada, you can get put out legally if you are in a lot of pain and no one can help you. Then I met a doctor in Los Angeles. He realised I have a hiatal hernia, and my acid levels were off the roof. It was a four-hour surgery and cost US$500,000.

Airbrushing art

After a short trip to Hong Kong in late 2023, I decided to give away or sell everything I owned, and moved to Hong Kong with just a backpack. I arrived this past February. I picked up an airbrush from Taobao for HK$40 and decided to paint. After I’d done a few pieces, Young Soy Gallery said they wanted to show my work. Within a month I’d made 20 pieces and then New Art (Est-Ouest Auctions) in H Queen’s also said they wanted to show me. And that’s how I launched my art career in Hong Kong.

Giving back

My studio has been in Chai Wan for the last eight months. Everyone knows me here as the tattoo guy with the crazy-looking dog. Chico is a Xoloitzcuintle, a hairless Mexican dog. Xoloitzcuintle are show dogs but also emotional support dogs, which is great for me when I need it. I never thought mental health was an actual thing until I started getting panic attacks. Now my art is based on mental health and I give back everything I can to mental health-based stuff, I support Mind HK.

Toxic and crazy

I will paint and work very hard for a month or two and then I’ll network and just be around people I enjoy for a few months. I love Hong Kong. It is very toxic and crazy. I choose to live a simple and slow lifestyle. You can if you block out all the craziness and the luxury stuff. When you realise life and family are the most important things, then all that other stuff fades away.

If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.