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ko te wehi ki ngaa Atua,

naa ratou nei ngaa mea katoa ...

JULIE PAAMA-PENGELLY 2022

HISTORIC PRACTICE

Julie began her artistic journey with taa moko in the early 1990s at which time she also began studies in Maaori Visual Arts and Third World Development. In 2004, Julie was commissioned - along with New Zealand’s foremost Taa moko artists - to perform her practice in full view of the public at Te Papa National Museum. Over the exhibition period, Julie tattooed full peha or puhoro on two women (covering the lower back, hips and thighs down to the knee).

It is work on which Julie is consistently challenged, through a belief that females traditionally never wore the peha, it being considered the mark of a warrior. Julie asserts there is documentary evidence women did indeed wear peha, and there must be little doubt that many modern-day women deserve the title of warrior!

A lavishly illustrated global exploration of the vast array of styles and most significant practitioners of tattoo from ancient times to today

Tattoo art and practice has seen radical changes in the 21st century, as its popularity has exploded. An expanding number of tattoo artists have been mining the past for lost traditions and innovating with new technology. An enormous diversity of styles, genres, and techniques has emerged, ranging from geometric blackwork to vibrant, painterly styles, and from hand-tattooed works to machine-produced designs.
 
With over 700 stunning color illustrations, this volume considers historical and contemporary tattoo practices in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Each section, dedicated to a specific geographic region, features fascinating text by tattoo experts that explores the history and traditions native to that area as well as current styles and trends. The World Atlas of Tattoo also tracks the movement of styles from their indigenous settings to diasporic communities, where they have often been transformed into creative, multicultural, hybrid designs. The work of 100 notable artists from around the globe is showcased in this definitive reference on a widespread and intriguing art practice.