Trash Polka Tattoos

Trash polka is a tattoo style created in Germany by Simone Pfaff and Volker Merschky, who coined the name in 1998. It combines several different stylistic elements that can translate across subject matters, and is a popular style across the globe to this day.

It is generally a combination of black and gray realism, brush strokes and geometry, typography, and splashes of red. It's a chaotic collage where the elements used merge into and layer over each other to create movement and contrast.

However, it is not necessary to use all of these elements. Trash polka can lean more surreal, have a bit more structure, or use different colors. The main point tends to be the juxtaposition of black and gray subject matter with aggressive decorative elements.

The creators of trash polka had backgrounds in interior design and graphic design, which is apparent in the style itself: structured and unstructured elements working together to serve a strong composition. Volker Merschky had this to say regarding the invention of the style: "If we only did what people want, we would never have been able to develop anything new."