Specializing in Contemporary Polynesian Tribal Tattoos

                                             Soane Paninia



                                         
 

                                             

                                              I am from Wallis and Futuna, a small Polynesian island in the South Pacific where I grew up until I was 17 years old in the

                                              village of Aka-Aka. In 1999 I found myself in New Caledonia to start culinary studies in hotel school while continuing my

                                              passion for tattooing. The many trips I made thanks to my profession of cook (New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Australia,

                                              Fiji, Wallis ...), allowed me to discover all these cultures.

     

                                              In May 2001 I landed in France where I continue to tattoo in parallel

                                              of my professional activity. In 2004, I decided to launch myself as a professional tattoo artist in Paris and I go through the doors of the Parisian tattoo artists (who did not have the best reception for me). Following this bad experience, and stubborn as I am, I decided to tattoo at home. In 2005, I was contacted by one of the biggest Parisian boutique Abraxas (3 on Paris and 1 on the island of Reunion). During this course passing Loïc D'Abraxas I realize the hardness of this trade. In 2006 still stubborn, I open my first studio in the Paris region.  From then on, I devoted all my time to my art (Polynesian tattoo) and to develop my level and my technique. In 2010, already working as an artist, I decided to open a second salon, this time in Biarritz (Basque Country), while keeping the shop in Paris, which forced me to work every other week in each studio!


            Finally in September 2011, I close both salons to settle with my family on Easter Island (my wife's native island) where I still tattoo. This island of the pacific is different from my native island (Wallis), but there is still a strong ancestral tradition very present. This allows me to pursue my personal development by living it on a daily basis. So, what more can I say? I am not an artisan but an artist. I do not do a minute tattoo. For me, each piece is unique and must be built beforehand between the artist and the person.