My name is Özgün Öztürk, and I’m a tattoo artist with nearly eight years of experience, currently working from my private studio, Atelier Dimora, in Istanbul. Over the years, I’ve worked with people looking for very different things in their tattoos, some searching for deeply personal meanings they want to carry for life, while others are drawn more to aesthetics and visual expression. In this series, I wanted to bring together some of the eye tattoos I’ve personally designed and tattooed, while also sharing the stories, emotions, and artistic ideas behind each piece.
Eyes have always been one of my favorite symbols to work with because they can hold so many layers of meaning at once. Sometimes they represent memory, protection, longing, or a connection to someone important. Other times, they exist simply as a powerful visual element. Combined with fine lines and surreal details, each eye becomes its own character, telling a completely different story depending on the person wearing it.
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#1 Flower Of A Cracked Gaze
An eye illustration imprisoned within a frame with cracks forming at the bottom, while a single daisy rising above symbolizes hope.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
In this article, I’ve brought together 22 eye tattoos I recently designed and tattooed, each carrying its own atmosphere, symbolism, and personal meaning. Some were inspired by surreal imagery and dreamlike compositions, while others draw from cinema, pop culture, emotional memories, or purely aesthetic ideas. Despite sharing the same central symbol, every piece tells a completely different story through its details, expression, and flow.
Scroll down to explore the collection and discover the different worlds, emotions, and artistic perspectives hidden behind each gaze.
#2 Protective Sun On The Chest
Located on the chest area, this design creates a mystical shield with a massive eye placed inside an ornamental sun form.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#3 The Heron And The Gaze In The Vase
A surreal composition featuring a heron bird and an elegant flower emerging from a vase, merging with a hyper-realistic eye detail.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#4 The Sun’s Gaze
Placed at the center of classic sun symbolism, this illustration adds a mystical aura with a deep gaze looking through the rays.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#5 Post Malone Inspiration
Inspired by the famous eye on Post Malone’s iconic Beerbongs & Bentleys album cover, this design combines the harshness of barbed wire with a realistic gaze.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#6 Heart-Side Gaze
Inscribed within a focused form representing power, this is a determined gaze placed right next to the heart.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#7 The Evolution Of Gazes
A surreal vertical composition featuring various eye and lip figures rendered with dripping forms, double pupils, and unique textures. Connected by geometric patterns, this design represents the complexity and multi-dimensional nature of human expression.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#8 Requiem For A Dream
A striking reference to the film Requiem for a Dream, featuring a snake gliding between two different eye figures.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#9 Geometric Composition
A realistic eye detail set amidst minimalist lines, an ornamental flower, and a coiling snake.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#10 Shimmering Mystical Eye
The eye here is placed at the center of a four-pointed shimmering star symbol created with dotwork technique.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#11 Teardrop On The Collarbone
An eye placed just below the collarbone, surrounded by a geometric frame and dots to reflect fragility.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#12 Floating Reality
Floating on a piece of rock and shedding a single tear, this eye is a perfect combination of illustration and realism.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#13 Twin Gaze
A minimalist and symmetrical composition of two similar eyes superimposed, inviting reflection on duality and inner balance.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#14 Wrist Talisman
Inside a finely crafted frame, this eye serves as an elegant protective symbol on the wrist area.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#15 Light On The Throat
Placed on the collarbone and merging with elegant ornamental branches on the side of the neck, this “all-seeing eye” shines like a medallion.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#16 Melting Time
Designed with a surrealist approach and combined with a dripping form, this triple-eye figure questions the fluidity of our perspective.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#17 Talisman On The Hand
Placed on the back of the hand, this ornamental eye fits the anatomical form perfectly while standing out as a powerful protective symbol. Merged with traditional motifs, this “all-seeing eye” presents a bold and mystical stance.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#18 The Secret In The Vase
This “surprising” design stuns the viewer with an eye detail hidden within the body of a vase.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#19 Heart Bomb
An “Eye” placed on a heart-shaped hand grenade with a fuse at the trigger, offering a metaphorical approach to the power of love.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#20 An Immortal Gaze
This tattoo adds a very deep and emotional meaning to the phrase “Te tengo echado el ojo” (I’ve got my eye on you). Dedicated to the memory of the client’s late partner, the small pupil inside the large eye was actually taken from the shape of their partner’s real pupil. It is a very special piece of remembrance, carrying the message “I will always be watching over you in a good way” on the skin forever.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#21 The Protector On The Shoulder
Fitting perfectly into the curve of the shoulder and completed with small teardrop details, this gaze harmonizes with the body’s natural form.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
#22 Abstract Flow
This design, where forms blend into each other, transforms the “act of seeing” into a piece of modern art.
Image source: Özgün Öztürk
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