Polynesian Tattoo Master Aleksandr Dvoryanov: Bringing Human Stories to Life on Skin

For over twenty years, Aleksandr Dvoryanov has been creating unique, meaningful stories on human skin—stories of family, journey, strength, and personal triumphs. His Polynesian and ornamental tattoos have become a benchmark of technical mastery and deep symbolism in the modern tattoo industry.

Aleksandr entered the profession at 17, building his first tattoo machine from old tape recorder parts and a guitar string. It started as experiments on friends, but quickly evolved into a sought-after skill. His engineering education helped sharpen his sense of form, composition, and line precision, becoming a solid foundation for his future career.

After moving to Volgograd, Aleksandr began his professional development, but his major breakthrough came in Moscow. Working at renowned studios “Tattoo Sun” and “Ultra Tattoo,” he opened his own studio, “Ornament,” in 2011, where he continued developing his unique style.

At his studio, driven by frequent client requests for ornamental and ethnic motifs, Aleksandr delved deeply into Polynesian tattooing. Realizing the lack of accessible information in Russia, he turned to Dmitry Babakhin, a respected expert in Polynesian ornamentation, who recommended key literature. This marked the beginning of his personal library, centered around ethnologist Karl von den Steinen’s book on Marquesan tattoos, which Aleksandr translated himself.

I translated a book over 100 years old that was hard to find in Russia, but the effort paid off. I have the translation in my library and am now considering publishing it on my website.

Aleksandr’s work relies solely on trusted sources and research, including works by Roberto Gemori, materials from the Tahiti Tatau website, Polynesian legends, and visuals from the animated film “Moana.” He states that Polynesian tattooing is not just a style, but an ancient visual language reflecting the status, lineage, and spiritual beliefs of Oceanic peoples, from the Maori and Samoans to Hawaiians and Marquesans.

Key traits of the Polynesian style include geometric patterns, symbolism in every element, harmony with the body’s anatomy, and references to ancient tattooing techniques where artists used bone or wooden tools, creating a distinctive texture.

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Each of Aleksandr’s projects begins with an in-depth conversation. He needs to understand who his client is—their family, goals, past, and future.

I find out everything about the client: what they do, how many kids they have, their future goals and past experiences.

For example, the project for Andrey, director of several Azbuka stores, is a large and meaningful work. Over 50 hours and 10 sessions, most done freehand. It started as a rough iPad sketch, then transitioned to direct body drawing with a marker.

The design embeds key symbols: past hardships, leadership, family, twin children. The tattoo spans the shoulder, chest, and forearm, “gathering” the body into a unified artistic and symbolic piece.

Another project was a tattoo for Dmitry. It began with leg measurements, followed by sketch preparation, a video call, and discussion of symbolism. Each element carries personal meaning:

Turtle — protection
Waves — harmony, love of the sea
Marriage and children symbol
Gemini sign — duality of character
Mata Hoata mask — protection
Koru — new beginnings
Fish — abundance and wealth

Aleksandr’s work has received awards at prestigious festivals. Together with client Elena, he won 1st place at the TATTOOMO Festival in Voronezh and the 2024 Moscow Tattoo Festival. This project took 50 hours, with every detail perfectly complementing the body’s anatomy. Aleksandr notes such projects require courage—physical, emotional, and financial.

An equally impressive leg project for Sergey earned the artist 2nd place at the St. Petersburg Tattoo Festival. It required 15 sessions or 75 hours of meticulous work and precise design alignment to the body.

For Aleksandr, tattooing is more than art—it’s a living language that tells a person’s unique story. Being a tattoo artist means respectfully capturing clients’ lives, emotions, fears, and dreams on their skin.

It’s an honor for me to reflect a person’s journey, aspirations, family, and more! I’m the artist entrusted with someone’s entire life, and I immortalize it on their body.

You can explore Aleksandr Dvoryanov’s work, learn more about Polynesian tattoo symbolism, and book a consultation via the following links:

Instagram — @polynesia_tattoo_moscow
Studio website — dvoryanofftattoostudio.ru
VKontakte — Aleksandr Dvoryanov (Tattoo Usancho)