Alma Proença tattoo14 Images
Tattooing is becoming more visible in the media, but it’s often the finished product that lands onscreen. But in ”Hammer”, the recent music video from pop saviour Lorde, the process itself takes the spotlight. In it, the singer appears bare-backed, getting inked against a tree in Hampstead Heath, with Aotearoa tattooist Alma Proença behind the needle.
While Proença’s practice isn’t usually done within woodland, her work is a product of the green landscape she grew up in. The Auckland-born artist’s designs are intricate, often illustrative depictions of animals and plants. “We live in a country that’s incredibly green and rich in native flora and fauna. From birth you’re exposed to all of this,” she says. “It feels instinctive to celebrate that, make art out of it, and even wear it on your skin.”
For Proença, tattooing is a reverent act: “Consistently having respect and understanding for the person I’m tattooing is overwhelmingly important, maybe even a little bit sacred.” This respect shapes the tattoo scene in Auckland, she says, which is inseparable from the legacy of tā moko – the sacred Māori practice that traces whakapapa, meaning genealogy and identity, onto the skin. While Proença’s own work doesn’t fall within this tradition, she acknowledges its spiritual weight alongside other indigenous tattooing practices, which have carved a path for Western styles to exist.
Below, Proença talks to Dazed about destigmatisation in the industry, how she got involved in the ”Hammer” video and the close-knit tattoo scene in Auckland.
When and why did you start tattooing?
Alma Proença: I’d always wanted to be an artist in some capacity, but my interest was broad and not yet fully defined. My mum started getting tattooed quite actively when I was young, and I was lucky to grow up around that. Seeing someone like my mother, so delicate, kind and soft, being heavily tattooed made it feel more accessible and less daunting.
I started my apprenticeship in 2019, under Stefan Sinclair at Two Hands Tattoo in Ponsonby. Two years after my first tattoo, I was offered a position managing Two Hands. I spent those two years drawing, getting tattooed as often as I could and asking a million questions. That obsessive enthusiasm came from extreme passion, and I guess that’s what Stefan picked up on, which I’m grateful for.
So how did the ”Hammer” tattoo scene come about?
Alma Proença: It was almost entirely by chance. I met Ella [Lorde] when I was 19, working at a lingerie store in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, where we both grew up. She was friends with my manager, Sarah, and we’ve kept in touch on and off since then.
I was 16 when I first heard ”Royals” on 95 BFM. I was driving to swim training with my dad and I’ve been a pretty shameless super fan since that moment. Anyway, I was heading to London for my personal work and saw that Ella was there too, so I messaged and asked how long she was around. It was that conversation that led to me being involved in the ”Hammer” shoot. It wasn’t until a few days beforehand that I realised I’d actually be in the video as ‘myself,’ which was really lovely. She’s a super genius, and I’m super grateful to have been involved in a piece of her work.
Do you think about your style in defined terms, or do you prefer to keep it undefined?
Alma Proença: If someone were to ask about my style, I would say fine line black and grey, just because that gives them an immediate idea of what to expect. I asked my girlfriend what she thought and she said, ‘thin-lined, delicate, dynamic and gorgeous’. However, I do find it’s just easier to show people, as my work does vary and I like to think it’s constantly evolving.
A lot of your designs feature organic forms. What’s your connection to nature, and how does it show up in your work?
Alma Proença: I think having grown up in New Zealand, you’re in close proximity to all of this greenery and flora that’s specific to NZ. Our biodiversity is wild. We have these extraordinary landscapes and lakes and mountains, so many native trees and plants, flightless birds and kaka parrots, and only one semi-poisonous spider. From birth, you’re exposed to all of this, because our island is small and it’s everywhere. It feels instinctive to celebrate that, make art out of it and even wear it on your skin.
Do you feel like tattoos are being more widely recognised as an art form?
Alma Proença: Yes, I think so. I think it’s the accelerative effect of social media, and that saturation leading to rapid destigmatisation, which thankfully in turn makes room for a broader, more nuanced perspective on tattoos. I think there’s always a pendulum swing in effect when mass perception shifts so rapidly.
Western society as a whole has accepted, even embraced, the concept of being tattooed, but I know trends fluctuate and the overwhelming fascination with tattoos may dip a little bit. Fortunately, there will always be an enormous appetite for them.
What’s something people often misunderstand about the tattoo world?
Alma Proença: I think there is a relatively common misconception that tattooing is in any way easy. And, I feel this one is a touch outdated, but the opinion that heavily tattooed people are ‘scary.’ From my personal experience, that’s not remotely true. However, I speak from a different position, having been in the industry for so long and feeling considerably more comfortable than most people might.
What’s your local tattoo scene like?
Alma Proença: It’s incredible. Our city is so small, yet it holds, in my opinion, some of the best tattooists in the world or has birthed some of the best tattooists that have since moved overseas. It’s very interconnected. I think it’s rare for any tattooists in Auckland not to have met, or at the very least heard of each other, and from what I’ve experienced, we’re all supportive of each other.
What does the industry still need to fix?
Alma Proença: This is a difficult question. I do think tattooing has changed considerably for the better in the past few years, in terms of some new mentors dropping ‘traditions’ that should have never been implemented to the extent they were, in my opinion, anyway. However, I’ve asked a few different people what they thought: one said people’s egos need to be dropped, another said they wished getting into the industry was more accessible, while someone else said the exact opposite, ’bring back gatekeeping.’ I guess this shows that it’s a bit subjective and depends on the person you’re asking.