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The art of tattooing is recognised as a prestigious form of body art globally. With an increasingly enthusiastic audience slowly divulging in the form of free expression and celebration of the self that tattoos signify, Homegrown seeks to recognise the tattoo artists headlining the Indian tattoo scene.
Hailing from the Beautiful hills of Manipur is Mo Naga, a skilled Naga tattoo artist known to be an inking enigma.
Widely known as one of India’s most accomplished tattoo guru, Mo Naga was one the three India-based artists featured in the world atlas of tattoo which chronicles the work of one hundred leading global tattooists, and his artistic accomplishments have been featured numerous times.
Naga, an alumni of NIFT college, Hyderabad pursued a degree in fashion designing. However, his natural inclination towards tattooing kickstarted during his college years itself.
What started off as a casual hobby took on a deeper meaning as it helped him connect with the deep tattooing tradition of the Naga community and associate with his roots. Mo decided to keep the rich history of Naga tattoos alive by opening a tattoo studio in Delhi, namely Headhunters Tattoo studio.
I was trying to learn about traditional textiles in the North-East of India for a college project when I stumbled upon the tattoo tradition of the Nagas. Tattoos had both a symbolic and spiritual meaning for the Nagas back in the day. Each tribe had their own designs and patterns, which also made for easy identity, while women too had specific tattoos that symbolized events such as marriage and childbirth.
— Mo Naga
The tattoo artist has been planning on building a tattoo village in his native place that features as a resident tattoo hub amidst nature. Mo aims to blend art, nature, and culture with his dream project that would inspire a generation of tattoo enthusiasts.
Mo, an independent researcher and tattooist constantly seeks to revive the age old tradition Naga tradition of tattooing. The artist finds time to constantly travel to remote tribal villages in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and his home state of Manipur to understand the legacy and rich conceptual history behind the tattoos owned by the last generation of tattoo bearers. He also interviews surviving tattoo artists about traditional tattoo techniques and rituals.
From conducting apprenticeship to being invited to talk about the anthropology of the art, Mo Naga is deemed to be a respectable figure in the tattooing community as he strives to do his bit in empowering an ancient art on the brink of perishing.
The inking whizz uses his artistic abilities to shed light on the rich tradition and culture of north east and is rightfully regarded as the torch bearer of the Naga tattoo revival movement.
Check out his work here.
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