INÊS VALLE
THERE IS NO PRESENT LIKE TIME
NR PROJECT - TATTOO GALLERY, UK
07.07.2017
Artists: Carola Deutsch, Hanumantra, A++Void
Projection Designer: David Altweger
Dancers: Takeshi Matsomoto, Vlad Troncea, Marta Polak and Keon West
Musicians: Bumi Thomas and Chihiro ONO
The inaugural curatorial project is There Is No Present Like Time curated by Inês Valle. The exhibition is an immersive visual experience, sharing personal stories of three artists who are pushing the boundaries of tattooing – Carola Deutsch, Hanumantra Lamar and A++Void. This curatorial project positions tattooing as an art form that is as ephemeral as life itself and an especially personal expression. So, the project will bring together tattoo artists from across the globe to share one personal story that has marked them as individuals.
ARTISTS
Carola Deutsch was born 1989 in Graz, Austria. She attended HTL Ortwein school for Art and Design focussing on product design and presentation followed by the master class in painting. After receiving the Trade Licence for Cosmetics limited to Tattoo Art, she opened up the creative studio DECASA in Graz together with her sister Sabrina in 2012.The artist specialises in figurative representation and expressive portrait painting. For her, “each face has its own specialities and secrets."
Hanumantra, is best known for his striking and bold tattoos. Initially being inspired by South Pacific indigenous tattooing practices, developed a recognisable twist, capturing a contemporary and minimal aesthetic using only black ink whilst working in harmony with the geometry of the human form. A tattoo belongs in the flesh, however Hanumantra has also found various ways to express himself including ink on paper and oil.
A++void is a tattoo artist who moved to the UK at the age of 21, where he worked in Manchester, Cheltenham and now in London where he works at NR Studios. He takes tattooing as mode of expressing what he believes in life, a deep critical path towards individuation, alerting to the psychological and philosophical issues that commonly arise when we make large life decisions. In believing in this, he strips away the multiple unnecessary filters layer by layer in order to search for a raw and pure essence of unicity that we intrinsically are.
PROJECTION DESIGN
David Altweger is initially from Vienna, but has been based in London since 2006. A design graduate of Camberwell College of Arts, he works as a freelance director, VJ and a live visual installations specialist. He is currently working closely with Test Dept. and is a founding member of the artist collective Salon Flux.
MUSICIANS
Bumi Thomas is a British-Nigerian jazz-folk-soul singer-songwriter and guitarist. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but grew up in Nigeria. Now London-based, and frequently found performing in smaller venues around the city, she released her debut EP, Feather Pearl in November 2014.
Chihiro ONO is a Violin, Viola and a Baroque Violin player. Appearing on radio, TV and recordings, as a soloist and chamber musician, her repertoire ranges from Baroque, classical (on a period instrument), contemporary, experimental music, theatre performance, improvisation, and noise.
DANCERS
Takeshi Matsumoto is a performer, dance movement psychotherapist and choreographer from Japan. He studied dance and drama at Tamagawa university Tokyo. He was a member of Tamagawa Japanese drum and folk dance company which toured USA and Russia. After moving to London, he completed Transitions Dance company diploma at Trinity laban and an MA in dance movement psychotherapy at Roehampton University. As a dance performer Takeshi worked with Christian Duarte, Henri Oguike, Darren Johnston, Beatrice Allegranti, Paul-Andre Fortier and has long been collaborating with Hagit yakira.
Vlad Troncea as Borat is a promising and charismatic young actor, who has already received 4 awards for best lead actor in various Romanian theatre festivals. He has worked with well-known directors such as Radu Afrim, Mihai Maniutiu, Alexandru Darie and Nae Caranfil in various major theatres in Bucharest.
Marta Polak is originally from Poland. She completed her apprenticeship with Springs Dance Company in 2011, which also allowed her to train alongside Ad Deum Dance Company in Texas. In 2012 she completed music education in Eurhythmics major and then begun training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, gaining her BA(Hons) in Contemporary Dance in 2015. At Laban, Marta performed in works by Charles Linehan, Alison Curtis-Jones and Lizzie Kew-Ross and completed work experience with Bangarra Dance Theatre in Australia, Phoenix Dance Theater in the UK and Rozbark Dance ad Movement Theatre in Poland. Since graduation, Marta has had the opportunity to perform in works by Rosie Kay, Darren Ellis, Maresa von Stockert, Kiril Burlov, Alexis Zelda Stevens, Watts Dance at "Gala for Grenfell" charity event directed by Arlene Philips, and at the BBC Proms. She has featured in music videos for Daughter, The Ramona Flowers, Una Healey and is a hippie dancer in "Bridget Jones' Baby!". Apart from performing, Marta is involved in teaching dance workshops in Poland as well as is a Founder, Coordinator and Teacher at "GUIDANCE PROJECT" which focuses on a voluntary mission of delivering dance and art workshops to 150 unprivileged and orphan children and teenagers in Uganda.
Keon West is a traveller, creator and an avid explorer of himself and the world. He’s lived in Jamaica, France, the uS and the uK. Though he holds a scientific doctorate from the world’s oldest university (Oxford), he has also spent 15 years learning, practicing and teaching both dance and photography. His recent self-searching has brought him to the worlds of modelling and naturism; he remains open to the many possibilities of life.