Tattoo artists from Tahiti: two artists, two worlds, the same passion

Tattoo artists from Tahiti: two artists, two worlds, the same passion
Tattoo artists from Tahiti: two artists, two worlds, the same passion

©D.Myszka

Although their professional paths differ, they share the same vision of the profession: transmission. Through their art, Tevairai and Eli M navigate between the roots of their local culture and international inspirations, and bring Polynesian tattooing to life through distinct geographical and personal trajectories.

During the last Tahiti Tattoo Fest, Tevairai Hargous, 33, was the youngest tattoo artist using the ancestral tap-tap technique. A method he learned from Roonui Anania himself. One of the three tattoo musketeers alongside Chimé and Purotu, Roonui is one of the most renowned Polynesian tattoo artists. “ I met him during my studies in Canada. He saw that I knew how to draw and as he was looking for an assistant, he hired me. I had the chance to learn a trade with him for two years. It was my tattoo university », says Tevairai, proudly. Thanks to this meeting, he will not become an architect as his parents would have liked.

After attempting a brief professional adventure in Tahiti, the man chose to live and work in Spain, far from his native island. In Europe, he perfected his art of traditional tattooing with other masters, notably the New Zealander Brent McCown and Vatea Labbeyi. “ The traditional method was my gateway to Barcelona “, he admits.

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He now runs his boutique Porinetia Tatau in the Catalan capital and does conventions all over Europe, in , Berlin and Amsterdam. He does not hide the fact that to cover his costs, he mainly tattoos with a machine, particularly Marquesan motifs. “ Tap-tap requires good organization and a “stretcher” that must be paid for. This method also requires more precision and technique. But it is necessary to reclaim it. It is our duty to keep the tradition alive. », insists Tevairai, actively participating in the promotion of this ancestral know-how abroad. Its customers “ from all over the world » want a tattoo done by a Polynesian « to tell a story ».

“Today, the environment is very open”

Eli M. (who prefers to withhold her last name), 32, is also a teller of human stories. It is also impossible, according to her, to do this job without empathy. “ We’re a bit of a psychologist, because often a tattoo marks a stage in people’s lives. », she slips.

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This mother of a little girl was one of the first women in the industry in Tahiti. “ At first, people looked at me like an alien. Today, the environment is very open “, she believes. Tired after the last Tahiti Tattoo Fest where, on the first day, she won second prize in the “modern” category, she nevertheless admits that it is difficult to reconcile life as a mother and professional life. “ It’s a job where we give a lot of ourselves. »

Eli M studied interior architecture in Paris before discovering the world of tattooing. “ I was looking for something funkier ”, she laughs. Trained by different professionals on the island, she decided, for more practice, to return to at the French Tattoo School. A few years later, she shared her knowledge during the Patutiki training organized in partnership with EFT in the Marquesas. “ When I returned to Tahiti, I wanted to tattoo everything except the local “, she recalls. Today, the owner of a studio in Pirae, she perfectly combines ancestral Polynesian symbols with oriental inspirations. “ The tattoo is a piece of jewelry or armor that enhances the body », Estimates the tattoo artist who never prepares her pieces in advance: “ I need to see them come out of the person ». Et « just like the old ones », she has a spiritual approach to tattooing. A method that she voluntarily passes on to her apprentices. “It’s a transmission profession. It is important to continue this tradition », underlines the tattoo artist. Like Tevairai in Barcelona, ​​Eli M. contributes, on site, to preserving the ancestral art of Polynesian tattooing while giving it an international dimension.

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