Hornbill Festival : International tattoo artists for revival of indigenous tattoos

December 03, 2014; Guwahati:

Hornbill Festival witnesses collaboration of two international tattoo artists for revival of indigenous tattoos

Heiko Gantenberg, a renowned tattoo artist from Germany and Mo Naga of Nagaland, India are sharing a common platform at the Hornbill Festival for the revival of the indigenous tattoo art forms. While Heiko is tattooing Polynesian tattoos at the Hornbill Festival, Mo Naga is promoting the Naga Tribal Art. The exchange of information on indigenous tattoo culture is taking place here at Phesama village, 100 meters from Kisama village where the Hornbill Festival is happpening. This exchange of art and culture will culminate at the International Tattoo Convention at Frankfurt, Germany in February 2015 where Mo Naga has been invited as a guest.

Speaking on this collaboration, Mo Naga, tattoo researcher and promoter and founder of Headhunter’s Ink said, “This is a dream moment in our mission of revival and promotion of Naga Tribal art. I am very excited to host renowned German tattoo artist Heiko in Nagaland's biggest cultural festival. I believe that this intercultural exchange will go a long way in promoting the indigenous tattoo art forms of north-eastern India on a global platform.”

Mo Naga is a highly acclaimed tattoo art researcher and promoter, not only in India but on an international level too. He is the first and the only Indian tattoo artist who has been chosen to be featured in the WORLD ATLAS OF TATTOO BOOK which will be published in 2015 by Yale University Press USA. In the book, Headhunters' Ink is representing India placing Nagaland's art alongside the rich tattoo culture from different parts of the world. Another book called the WORLD’S TATTOO FLASH BOOK to be published by a famous publication house in Germany will feature Mo Naga's Naga tribal art alongside the legends like Ed Hardy, Horiyoshi III, etc. This, once again, positions Nagaland's indigenous art and culture on the global scenario. Mo Naga has also collaborated with Dr. Lars Krutak, world famous tattoo anthropologist who has done programmes on Naga tattoo culture in Discovery Channel, for his tattoo research and revival programme.

Heiko, owner Top Notch Tattooing said, “I am so happy to come across a tattoo artist of such repute as Mo Naga, who has a wonderful vision to revive the dying tribal tattoo art forms of India. There are very few countries in the world with living tattoo legends, India being one of them. I want to congratulate Mo for his mission of reviving this art form and documenting them to be shared with the rest of the world. I look forward to learn a lot about Indian art forms during my stay in India and at the Hornbill Festival”.

Heiko’s – ‘Notch the World’ is a journey dedicated to the love of tattooing and riding Motorbikes that started in May 2014. This world tour on a Motorcycle aims to find tattoo artists along the way and to document their work. A motorcycle seems most appropriate option for this mission as it provides access to remote spots and assures flexibility in even the biggest metropolitan areas. For this project Heiko has a plan to travel continuously for two years. The journey which started in Germany will end at New Zealand via Austria, former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Karakorum, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. The journey later will be continued on the American Continent.

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