tatuagens

VICE follows the orchestrators behind the Brutal Black Project, the tattoo collective where mandalas go to die and pain is prioritized over aesthetics.

Paitangi Ostick is one of the first females to practice tā moko – the Māori art of tattoo. She travels from New Zealand to Tokyo, where she meets Japanese tattoo artist Megumu Kamata to compare notes on their shared craft.

Although it’s socially acceptable for teenagers to have cosmetic surgery within its six billion dollar domestic beauty industry, it is illegal to be a tattoo artist.