Tattooist Emmanuel Uchenna Item Urges Africans to Embrace Their Identity Through Tattoos

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Body creation has ever been a batch much than decoration. Various cultures told stories with them, utilized them arsenic a signifier of belonging, identity, and survival. For Emmanuel Uchenna Item, a 30-year-old Austrian-Nigerian tattoo artist, tattoos are a mode to span worlds. His enactment draws heavy from West African heritage, peculiarly the past publication of Nsibidi oregon Uli and different tribal symbols, reimagining them successful modern forms.

Born and raised successful Vienna to an Austrian parent and a Nigerian begetter from Afikpo, Ebonyi State, Item spent astir 10 years successful Berlin earlier returning to his ancestral location successful 2024. Through his tattoo art, helium not lone reconnects with his Igbo practice but besides offers Africans and those successful the diaspora a powerful, imperishable mode to deterioration their civilization with pride

In this interview, Emmanuel talks to america astir his roots, the improvement of his art, and the bequest helium hopes to leave.

Emmanuel Uchenna Item

Hi Emmanuel, however are you today?

Really good. Thank you for having me.

Awesome! To begin, archer america who Emmanuel Uchenna Item is beyond the tattoo machine

I americium a 30-year-old originative calved and raised successful Vienna. My ma is Austrian from Vienna, my dada Nigerian from Afikpo, Ebonyi State. I lived successful Berlin, Germany for astir 8 years successful full and moved backmost to my hometown past August 2024. I question rather often to research antithetic cultures and get inspired.

Your enactment blends tattoo creation with African heritage. How did you observe that this was the way you wanted to take?

Mainly due to the fact that of my ain process of reconnecting with my Igbo-side. I haven’t been to Nigeria for galore years, truthful fewer years agone erstwhile my begetter remarried successful the village, I started to spell backmost determination and since then, I spell each twelvemonth for respective months.

At that time, I’d started to tattoo. So erstwhile I was successful Nigeria, I looked for immoderate absorbing visuals that mightiness animate my work. Another main origin was 1 of my mentors, Roberto (@pantarei), who is besides a tattooist and taught maine everything astir tribal tattooing that I cognize now. He pushed maine and motivated maine to research West African tribal tattooing.

That’s amazing. Nsibidi oregon Uli and different accepted symbols are affluent successful history. How bash you attack weaving these ineffable designs into modern quality and fashion?

Firstly, I dainty my enactment and each portion of that with respect. I judge the volition of everyone progressive is precise important to honour the past of our forefathers.

In my work, I usually instrumentality the inspiration of, let’s accidental Nsibidi oregon Uli, and make thing caller successful a modern discourse of modern tattooing. It’s important to recognize that I bash not replicate the archetypal practice; but alternatively a caller originative mode to explicit an idea.

Growing up successful Vienna and present moving successful Berlin, you’ve lived astatine the intersection of cultures. How has this shaped your consciousness of individuality and the mode you create?

As mentioned earlier, I near Berlin past summer. I deliberation Germany and Austria are rather akin successful taste aspects. Berlin was decidedly a precise fertile instauration to larn and turn into the creator I americium now. Being distant from Vienna and present being successful my hometown and traveling astir the satellite made maine admit the spot I grew up a batch more.

It’s similar I person near to larn and survey and present I came backmost to unpack my cognition and skills astatine my home.

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