Tattoos, once a way to mark oneself as an outsider, have dramatically grown in popularity and mainstream acceptance. Join tattoo impresarios Ami James, Roxx, Kari Barba, Adam Vu Noir, and Takahiro Kitamura (panel organizer and moderator) for a discussion of the changes and challenges of tattoo art as it has evolved since the time of Lew the Jew.
Recorded May 16, 2019
The eternally curious Ami James has been illustrating since the age of six and and has spent a lifetime pushing creative boundaries. His first ink came at the age of fifteen, laying the groundwork of what would develop into a dedicated career, after exiting the Israeli army. In 1992, James began apprenticing under legendary tattoo artist, Lou Sciberras at Tattoos by Lou in South Beach. With old-school mentoring and an unbreakable work ethic, James quickly earned his own reputation in the tattoo community, offering him the chance to travel worldwide for extended residencies at well-regarded studios.
In 2004, James’ wanderlust subsided when he came back to Miami to launch and star in TLC’s wildly popular Miami Ink and later NY Ink. Today, James is the owner of five tattoo studios in the United States and Europe—Love/Hate Social Club in Miami (two locations), London, and Ireland, along with Five Points Tattoo NYC—and the co-founder of Tattoodo, an online tattoo community rethinking how artists and consumers connect. Today, James is proud to lead INK The Original as partner & creative director, solidifying the connection between the tattoo community and the ink-enthusiasts that it supports. James resides in Miami, FL with his wife and children.
I’m always looking for ways to build, to push forward and innovate in whatever I do. The tattoo community is largely overlooked, and I’m proud to be part of the movement helping to elevate these incredible artists today and for the future.
Born in Japan, raised in California, Takahiro Kitamura graduated with a BA in community studies from University of California, Santa Cruz in 1994. In 1998, he began tattooing under the artist title “Horitaka” and continued to work under that name until 2014, after which he took the title “Ryudaibori.” In 2002, he opened State of Grace Tattoo in San Jose, California. Since 2004, he has also been the co-founder and co-host of the Bay Area Tattoo Convention. Kitamura is the author and publisher of multiple books on tattoo culture and has spoken at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Berkeley, Virgina Museum of Fine Arts, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Morikami Museum in Florida, and The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, as well as at conferences worldwide. Kitamura has curated two exhibitions for the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
Roxx taught herself to tattoo at the age of fifteen. She started out by hand poking pieces on friends in some of London’s punk rock squats. She has since owned studios in Edinburgh, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and now Los Angeles. Her work has been included in numerous publications and has been exhibited globally, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
Kari Barba has been tattooing since 1979. Kari has spent her career crushing presumptions and prejudices, while also inspiring dramatic improvements to tattoo shop cleanliness accross the industry. She is a world renowned artist who has won over five hundred awards, including a Lifetime Achievement and Best Tattoo Artist award (twice nationally and once internationally). Despite an uncertain beginning in a very competitive industry, Kari has successfully run her own business since 1983. Currently, she owns two shops under the name Outer Limits Tattoo, one in Long Beach and the other at the CAMP in Costa Mesa. The former, once known as Bert Grimm's World Famous Tattoo Studio, is the oldest continuously running tattoo shop in the United States. Kari also attends Mondial du Tatouage each year, and has judged alongside fellow tattoo legends Filip Leu, Luke Atkinson, Mark Mahoney, and the late Bill Salmon.
Adam Vu Noir is a multimedia and tattoo artist from Los Angeles, California. In 2017, he received wide public recognition for his groundbreaking feat of tattooing on all seven continents. He is the curator of StrangeLove, a collective of like-minded artists across the globe with the prime directive of pushing tattooing forward into the future. Heavily inspired by his vagrant travels, classic propaganda, pulp art, and tattoo history, his body of work is haunting and humorous. Vu Noir brings all his influences together to form his own surreal narrative of the world.
Lew the Jew and His Circle: Origins of American Tattoo presents the work of “Lew the Jew,” born Albert Morton Kurzman (1880–1954), one of the most influential artists tattooing in NYC’s Bowery at the beginning of the twentieth century. The exhibition includes previously unpublished and rare original tattoo artwork, photos, and correspondence between Lew and San Francisco tattooers “Brooklyn Joe” Lieber and C. J. ”Pop” Eddy.
Lew the Jew and His Circle: Origins of American Tattoo is organized by The Contemporary Jewish Museum. Sponsorship is generously provided by Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt, Joyce Linker, and Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.
Public Programs are made possible by the Koret Foundation. Program support is provided by the Alan Templeton Endowment in Memory of Lieselotte and David Templeton.
Leadership Support for digital media at The Contemporary Jewish Museum is generously provided by the Jim Joseph Foundation.