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Heng Yue

A Primitive Sense of Power

New to Black Ivy · PromotedBased Yueyang, China and Markham, Canada.

@hengyue_newassassin_tattoo xincike.cn

At a glance

StudioNew Assassin Tattoo

BasedYueyang and Markham

2025 titleGRAPHICA, Global Top 100

2026 titleBlack Ivy, Global Top 10

Styles

Black & Grey Realism Cyborg Style Biomechanical / Biomechanic East Asian Motifs Stone Texture Freehand

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Inspector's report · 2026

Black and grey realism pushed into territory with no Western equivalent. East Asian iconography not reproduced but evolved.

Dragons and guardian deities are rendered as if carved from weathered stone, and mechanical and biomechanical structures are grown into the body. Nothing is drawn in advance. The design is worked out in person with the client, built to the curve of the body, and a full back is then completed in 15 to 20 consecutive days. He has carried 2 full-body mechanical suits and a full-body dragon at the same time.

He works from New Assassin Tattoo in Yueyang and from the studio's newest location in Markham, Ontario. The inspectors found texture control that borders on sculpture, and compositions that hold at full-body scale.

Inspector's note

Nobody in East Asian realism has his combination of scale, texture and original iconography.

Back to the Global Top 10

Also in Black Ivy · alphabetical

PreviousJulian SiebertThousands of Hours · Munich NextLewis YzoriOne Body, One Canvas · Lisbon

Certified Black Ivy

Global Top 10 · 2026

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Mikael RämgårdCo-Founder

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The SKINGRAPHICA® Global Top 10 Tattoo Artists is an independent editorial recognition of the world's most technically accomplished tattoo artists. Selection rests on mastery, consistency and artistic execution. It does not rest on popularity, social following or commercial influence.

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