David Le in Conversation: Intimacy, Ink, and the In-Between

At Graedance, we explore the gradients we occupy as individuals—spaces that resist singular definitions. The Grey Area Series is our ongoing editorial series spotlighting voices who inhabit these in-between zones. Artists who have carved out space where none existed. Creators who understand that identity is not fixed—but fluid, layered, and ever-shifting.

To prelude the upcoming Long Ocean collection—our most personal examination of “yang” energy through the Asian metaphor of the dragon—we’ve invited Vietnamese-Australian tattooist and painter David Le as our inaugural collaborator for the First Viel Series: a seasonal program that brings guest artists into dialogue with our design process. His commissioned Oceano Silk Scarf swirls with aquamarine dragons and porcelain blues—a creature not of dominance, but transformation. A quiet, knowing power. A myth reframed.

David Le is the first guest artist of this kind. And there’s a reason. His work is rooted in the rituals of queer storytelling. It traces tenderness in muscle. Lingers in the charged stillness of touch. Renders queer men—especially Asian men—with grace, humour, and unflinching honesty. Through tattoo and canvas, he explores how the body becomes both an archive and altar. His art speaks in the language of myth and memory—one that spans club shadows and ancestral brushwork alike.

In this conversation with Graedance founder Rong Jake Chen, David reflects on growing up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, on navigating masculinity, and how the grey zone became his loudest signal.

David Le in Conversation

(As told to Rong Jake Chen for Graedance. Edited for length and clarity.)

GRAEDANCE:

You started in advertising, detoured into illustration, and finally landed in tattooing. What did that journey teach you about authorship and collaboration?

DAVID LE:

I pivoted from Advertising to tattooing early on in my career - realising that I yearned for a deeper, more personal connection with my clients and my work. 

I love being able to facilitate between a person’s vision whilst being given the autonomy to interpret their ideas with my own signature. 

Ten years in, I’m still addicted to that electricity of co‑creation. It keeps me honest, because a design on skin has to feel true to both of us, or it simply won’t heal right.

GRAEDANCE:

Graedance champions the spaces between binaries. Growing up in Melbourne’s western suburbs—Vietnamese at home, hyper‑masculine norms outside—where did you find your own “grey area”?

DAVID:

For the longest time I struggled between being my authentic self and conforming to societal expectations and tradition. I didn’t know what it meant to take up space and veered away from expressing myself as a queer and Asian creative. 

It wasn’t until my late twenties, during the quiet of COVID that I began painting about the queer experience - chaotic nights out, awkward hook ups, gentle intimacy. 

I feel this was a pivotal point in finding my voice as an artist. Finding clarity, as if I was healing the trauma related to the intersectionality of growing queer and Asian in a western space. 

GRAEDANCE:

Your canvases borrow from ukiyo‑e, Tibetan thangka, even porcelain palettes. How do those ancestral languages speak to contemporary queer stories?

DAVID:

There’s so much beauty in these traditional forms. Every stroke, texture and detail work so beautifully in their story telling. Throughout so many generations, these stories have been retold, reimagined and reinterpreted. I want to create a new verse, adding another voice—juxtaposing traditional aesthetic with modern stories of queer love. An ironic take, using humor as a bridge to invite the viewer into experiencing what it feels like to be a part of colliding worlds.  

And if people can laugh at a scene of queer hedonism I’ve rendered in a 17th‑century woodblock style, they’re already exploring with much more of an empathetic lens.

GRAEDANCE:

Tattooing has historically been a tough room for queer artists. How has that landscape shifted since you picked up a machine?

DAVID:

When I apprenticed, I was out to friends but closeted at work. Although the team at my studio were great, I still felt I was on the fringe, unsure of how my otherness would be accepted. Thankfully though, the conversation around queer acceptance has been progressing so positively— a new wave of queer artists and queer studios are being celebrated. POC, trans and a diverse mix of artists are abundant. There are finally more chances for queer arists to put queer work on queer bodies and that’s exciting. 

Sweat by David Le (Up There Showcase)

GRAEDANCE:

What keeps you painting after a full day of tattoo sessions? Where does the fuel come from?

DAVID:

I’m surrounded by incredible artists who treat every piece of work like a love letter—an intimate look into their world and the passions that drive them. It’s such a privilege to have the ability to express ourselves through art and I want to keep that energy alive. 

Whether it’s through laughter, shock, confusion, or joy, I’m obsessed with seeing people’s reactions to my work.  I want the stories I tell to challenge people’s biases and spark an honest dialogue within themselves.  

GRAEDANCE:

Imposter syndrome is a recurring guest in creative studios. How do you negotiate with yours?

DAVID:

I let it ride shotgun. The minute I think I’ve “arrived,” my line work stiffens. Feeling not quite there yet keeps me curious. I’m measuring progress by how honest the next piece feels, not by follower counts or convention invites—though those are nice side quests.

GRAEDANCE:

For readers trying to embrace their own grey zones, what practice or mindset has served you best?

DAVID:

Lean all the way in. If you’re feeling “other,” do what’s true for you and the right people will follow. Your people—clients, collaborators, friends—will find you by that frequency.

GRAEDANCE:

Finally, tell us about the piece you designed for our upcoming Long Ocean collection—an aquamarine dragon swirling through porcelain blues.

DAVID:

It’s a collage of dynasties, really—Song‑era wave crests, Ming porcelain whites, a Tibetan‑style dragon mid‑molt. I wanted the dragon to read as both guardian and trickster, echoing Graedance’s play with yang energy. The aquamarine moonstone eyes give it a softness, like it’s inviting you rather than testing you. That’s the kind of masculinity I vibe with: protective, playful, a little bit femme.

About the Grey Area Series

The Grey Area Series is a space for dialogue, nuance, and voices that defy categorisation. Through conversations with multidisciplinary artists, we explore how identity, creativity, and community shape each other in ever-shifting, ever-fluid ways.

To explore more stories or read previous features, visit graedance.com/stories.
Follow David Le (@davidlegoon) & see more of his work at https://www.davidlegoon.com/. Prints and original paintings of his past work can be purchased through Nucleus Portland.

The Oceano Silk Scarf is now available as a limited edition of 50 pieces.