Karanga Ink

Sep 14

New Artists

Group
Pip Hartley, Conan Fitzpatrick, Whanau and friends creations

Pip Hartley’s devotion to Tā Moko is evident in her work, having a wealth of experience gained from travelling the world participating in various indigenous tattoo conventions, sharing her culture and fine-tuning her chosen art form since 2002. Beginning her apprenticeship under master carver, moko and multi disciplinary artist Kura Wanikau Tahana Turoa of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Pip developed a practice that is both contemporary and traditional, weaving together art, wairua, tikanga and storytelling. She has an innate ability to translate stories and flow with the contours of the body or brief using both traditional and contemporary tools.

After years of service to Te Karanga Charitable Trust, an organisation dedicated to empowering rangatahi through the arts. In 2013 she became Director, initiating youth programmes that connected young people to creative expression, cultural identity, and whanaungatanga.

In 2015 Karanga Ink was founded and established by Pip on Karangahape Road. Hosting an arrangement of events and kaupapa Māori initiatives, creating a platform and unique creative space for Māori and Pacific artists predominantly wāhine ringa tā. The studio became a hub for wānanga, exhibitions, and international exchanges, bringing together indigenous tattoo artists from across the world.

Pip has represented Aotearoa at festivals in Tahiti, Canada, Spain, Europe and beyond, and her work has been featured in documentaries and films and articles such as Skindigenous, Marks of Mana, Moko Aotearoa and BBC to name a few.

In 2022 Pip completed a dream of building a studio in the Waitākere Ranges. Surrounded by the taiao, Karanga Ink studio is a sanctuary where tā moko is practiced in its fullest expression. Her and her whanau vision for the whenua is to evolve into a wānanga space in the future — a place where creativity, learning, and cultural knowledge are nurtured.

Alongside her moko practice, Pip’s design work has led to collaborations with brands, multi media productions and organisations, the most recent being a nationwide collaboration project with The Warehouse, which bring her designs into homes and communities across Aotearoa.

With a lifetime of dedication to her artform, Pip continues to explore the spiritual, cultural, and creative dimensions of tā moko and various other mediums - aspiring to inspire and be the most authentic version of herself in all she does.