Ko te timatanga o te whakāronui,
ko te wehi ki ngā Atua,
nā ratou nei ngā mea katoa ...
JULIE PAAMA-PENGELLY 2022
HISTORIC PRACTICE
Julie began her artistic journey with tā moko in the late 1880s at which time she also began studies in Māori Visual Arts and Third World Development. In 2004, Julie was commissioned - along with New Zealand’s foremost Tā moko artists - to perform her practice in full view of the public at Te Papa National Museum. Over the exhibition period, Julie tattooed full peha/puhoro on two women (covering the lower back, hips and thighs down to the knee).
It is work on which Julie is consistently challenged, through a belief that females traditionally never wore the peha, it being considered the mark of a warrior. Julie asserts there is documentary evidence women did indeed wear peha, and there must be little doubt that many modern-day women deserve the title of warrior!
May 27 2015 Fellow Taa Moko artist Taryn Beri interviews Julie on her Taa Moko practice
ⓒ Norm Heke
SKINDIGENOUS EPISODE 7 – NEW ZEALAND
Exploring the world of indigenous tattoo, Skindigenous travel the globe in a 13-part documentary series to bring to the world the practitioners of art, techniques, tools, traditions and identity.
"Julie is a veteran in the revitalisation of tā moko Maori tattooing. Her studio in Mount Maunganui mixes contemporary and traditional designs and cultivates artists from all walks of life.
Julie is one of the first women to practice in the male-dominated field. She is a strong voice for Maori women’s rights and continues to break down barriers to give women a place in ta moko and in the arts."
‘Māori Art and Design’
is apparently the first book to present a comprehensive art language for Māori visual culture. It traces the evolution of historic Māori art and design, across the full range of disciplines: weaving, painting, carving and architecture. Julie Paama-Pengelly has produced a valuable resource to interpret historic Māori art, now being recognised as a dynamic and credible mainstream visual culture, integral to both New Zealand and the international art scene.
Focus Magazine Issue 6
July 27 2017 pages 55-57
““The whakapapa of moko links us back to our Polynesian forefathers and maintaining those links is crucial to further understandings of Tā moko””
World Atlas of Tattoo 2015
by Anna Felicity Friedman
A lavishly illustrated global exploration of the vast array of styles and most significant practitioners of tattoo from ancient times to today.
The Polynesian Tattoo Today by Tricia Allen 2010
back cover featuring Moko Puhoro by Julie Paama-Pengelly
Art + Body Creative Studio
Visit Julie’s studio in Mount Maunganui
We are a studio in Mount Maunganui with a collective of professional and talented artists & creatives! You can find Māori art, design, Tā Moko, tattoos & piercings when you visit our studio - every client is important to us!
Hana Gallery presents exhibitions of unique art which is also available for purchase.
by Dion Kazsas with contribution from: Missy Dunn-Mahan, Julia Mageʼau Gray, Donita Vatuinaruku Hulme, Dion Kaszas, Yasbelle Kerkow, Terje Koloamatangi, Mel Lefebvre, Nolan Malbeuf, Jerrid Lee Miller, Jacqueline Merritt, Sheri Osden Nault, Julie Paama-Pengelly, Natalia Roxas, Nathalie Standingcloud, Gordon Sparks, Anne Spice, Dulcie Stewart, Nakkita Trimble, and Nahaan.
