What’s behind a tattoo? Humans have been inking their bodies for thousands of years, yet in Western culture it’s only relatively recently that tattoos have lost their social stigma. Join artists Anya Brock, Carla Adams and tattoo artist Marc Pinto as they delve into the history of tattooing and the design evolution of today’s tattoos. Carla will share her personal tattoo story in an exploration of how people use tattoos to express themselves

This event is part of the Fremantle Design Week Conversations Series. Tickets are available for individual sessions, a whole day or the whole weekend.

Anya Brock

Artist Anya Brock is known for her spirited and bold use of colour. An early career in fashion saw her launch her own label and work with prominent British Fashion houses. Realising that fashion wasn’t for her, she returned to her artistic roots in painting and drawing. Her distinctive paintings and prints of close-up faces, nudes, animals and geometric compositions feature in homes around the country and her larger-than-life murals appear on walls in Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Fremantle. Anya’s tattoo’s find their place in ritualism, a permanent mark to denote a learning or awakening. Most of Anya’s tattoos were done by Marc Pinto in the traditional Tebori style. 

Carla Adams

Carla Adams is a contemporary artist from Perth. Her work incorporates sculpture, textiles, craft practices, painting, drawing, research and book-making to navigate the complexities of relationships from an embodied, female perspective. She has shown extensively in Western Australia including the Art Gallery of WA. She has 58 tattoos including one of some worms getting into a car crash.