@toi_whakaaio
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato
As a Resident Artist at the studio, Te Moa brings profound cultural grounding and ancestral connection to his practice as a Tā Moko practitioner. Guided entirely by tikanga and driven by kaupapa, his extensive expertise is backed by a Bachelor's degree from the prestigious Toihoukura School of Māori Visual Arts and Design and his enthusiasm for kapa haka.
For Te Moa, the storytelling, rhythmic precision, and ihiihi (essential force) of performance art are deeply intertwined with physical skin marking. He channels these tribal histories and customary protocols seamlessly into his work, viewing tā moko as a living skin inheritance that reflects a person’s whakapapa, identity, and life journey.
With a deep respect for traditional knowledge, Te Moa treats his chair as a safe, culturally rooted sanctuary where clients can transform their stories into sacred visual milestones and anchor their inner mana.
Whakaaio te pō, whakaaio te ao"
