National Geographic: "In Polynesia, tattoos are more than skin deep"
National Geographic published an article about tattoos, mentionning Eddy Tata, Aranui’s tattoo artist
On August 3rd, 2022, National Geographic published an article about tattoos, written by Jill K. Robinson. The article includes Eddy Tata, the Marquesan tattoo artist who practices his work aboard the Aranui 5, that sails from Tahiti to the Marquesas. Read the full article here.
Extract:
“I ask clients about themselves, their own story, and what they want their tattoo to represent,” says Eddy Tata, a Marquesan tattoo artist who practices his work aboard the Aranui 5, the half-passenger, half-freighter ship that sails from Tahiti to the Marquesas, Tuamotu, and Society Islands. “As they talk, I’m already making the design in my head. If the client shows me a picture, wanting that exact design, I won’t copy it. Replicating something that’s personalized is a form of appropriation—like stealing someone else’s story. I explain that as I adapt the design so it corresponds to the client’s narrative.”
