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SINZ 06 Testimonials
& Magazine Coverage

•Skin & Ink U.K. #137
•Tattoo’s Downunder #58 Australian
•Australian Tattoo #58
•Downunder Tattoo Art #10
Awesome Coverage for our 1st Expo!!!!
Australian Tattoo no 58#
Words by John West
When I first heard that there was going to be a Tattoo Show in Christchurch I figured it’d be worth attending. Why? Because Christchurch
is one of the more creative places on earth and home to a lot of artists and art enthusiasts outside the bounds of tattoo
too. Anyway, I figured if the magazine could get behind the show it’d have a better chance of succeeding in the future
– it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Christchurch is always
worth a visit!
So I booked some tickets and waited. But it was while waiting that I begun hearing plenty of buzz about the
SINZ (South Island New Zealand) Tattoo Expo and it took a while to realize the two were the same! Then Tat2Sue the organizer,
and one of the hardest working people around, got in touch and I knew this was one not to miss!
Thank heavens we didn’t, as you can see from this small selection of the art on display. It was a superb
showing of art from an area that’s got some magnificent tattoo artists with a hell of a lot of enthusiastic support.
But not having had a show in town for many years also meant there was a bucket of new work – or at least work we hadn’t
seen before.
Yep, it all went of beautifully too – full credit to Sue, James and their team because they deserve an accolade for putting on a first show that’d rival any international showing
straight off. The Netball Centre was a terrific venue and with some 30 categories, fifteen working artists, a heap of trade
stalls and everything from hot rods to wood carving representing other alternative art mediums, the show was a genuine hit.
Only 1 problem…
Unfortunately nobody thought to connect the artists names to the judging process, something made almost impossible
to rectify later because the judges were Hugo Goorhuis and Yan Hus, a couple of very experienced Dutch Tattooist from Almere
Studio in the Netherlands.
Now while a local judge might have recognized the work of a local artist, Hugo and Yan wouldn’t of had
a hope. They could recognize a good tattoo though, and completely without any of the bias that always filters through when
artists judge each others work. Theres no other way of doing it I know and its not always a plesant job, but I reckon Tat2Sue
hit the nail right on the judgmental head getting 2 experts from overseas two handle the judging first time around. The
art on display was judged with no external influences at all, it was the fairest judging I’ve ever seen at a tattoo
event. It had to be.
But that leaves us with a hell of a problem because with work of this caliber, you want to know who did it!
In order to get around this – and at the risk of upsetting a few people – I asked Sue to put together a quick
list of the prominent artists who featured on the day so you’d have some names to think about. If you missed out, feel
free to let us know!
Australian Tattoo no 58#
Westy’s Column
Just got back from the PTAA’s Melbourne Convention. Wow. What a turn out! The Carlton Crest was absolutely
packed with tattoo enthusiasts, colour from carpet to ceiling and art like you’ve never seen. It was the most concentrated
get together of wild skin I’ve seen sin, err, that trip to Christchurch
earlier this year!
And that yarns ‘s in this magazine too! When Little Mick was selecting pic’s for this issue, he
was absolutely swamped with sheer quality tattoo. We could have filled the magazine with fresh art from New
Zealand’s SINZ show alone! Sure, part of that’s because we haven’t had
any input from our talented Kiwi cousins for a while but not the whole reason. No, that’s to be found in the tattoo
studios where artists seem to going form strength to strength pushing the boundaries of design, techniques and colour.
Uk’s
Skin Deep Magazine #137 Review
words by Mike form “Spike the Art Tattoo Studio”, Plymouth.
As this was the 1st SINZ (South Island New Zealand) convention it was everything
organizer Sue Moore could have hoped for. Not that she saw a lot of it as she spent most of the day running around exhausted,
tearing her hair out, a feeling I’m sure most convention organizers can relate too. But she need not have worried. The
months of dedicated planning by her team made the day buzz along making her ‘Best of Day’. The venue catered for
everything the crowd could need with outside seating, live entertainment, hot rods and local art stalls. We had met with Sue
and helpers the night before, after two hours driving in circles looking for netball pitches (the venue), but after a few
local beers and a lot of laughs we ended up parking our van on site and we became the over night security!
The show didn’t appear to be heavily advertised in Christchurch but people had heard the word from somewhere
and come 11 o’clock the queue of heavily tattooed people was half way around the car park, mingling with the hot-rods
on display.
The tattooed folk enjoyed the novelty of having their photos taken by a UK
tattoo magazine. This was the 1st for most and many are still proud to be linked to the UK.
This allowed us access to “Down Under” artwork where they like their body suits big style!
With over thirty categories, the guest judges, Hugo Goorhuis and Yan Hus from Almere Tattoo in the Netherlands
had their work cut out. I think the locals were a bit unsure as to what was supposed to happen at a convention and the novelty
of having a tattoo done on the day took a few by surprise.
During our week prior to the show we met some local artist over a social beverage and their feeling about SINZ
was that it was’ bound to be full of hippies and substandard bullshit tattoos’, How wrong they were, typical of
the pathetic bitchiness in the art world and we had to ask where was their stall at the show!
One interesting category was ‘Self Tattooed’ which was judges by a public ballet. The standard of
work was amazing, not to mention the positions they must have put themselves in! One artist that stood out was Raelene Robinson.
She also turned her hand to leatherwork for the awards, each one hand made from kangaroo hide and each unique.
It was disappointing to hear that there were no entrants for the Moko categories in the land
of Moko, this didn’t seem to make sense, but quite a surprise considering
Riki Manual was there to demonstrate some remarkable Moko Art.
Within the major cities of New Zealand, tattoo art is there on the streets and the inhabitants are proud of
there ink and they do it big and bright in NZ, but once you venture away from the metropolis it seems to go underground. The
only’ body mod’ sighting we made out in the wilds was the odd branded sheep! We enjoyed the convention immensely;
the welcome we received was great, we also took up Riki Manuel’s invitation to spend the day at his Christchurch Art
Studio where we received a traditional Maori welcome, which was a great honor and a true learning experience into the ways
of the Maori.
The stay in New Zealand
flew by ad the ‘tattooed folk’ we met in the North Island is another story all together.
It was a real shame that we had to leave. Well be back for sure!

Tattoo’s Downunder #58
Christchurch…
the garden city, gateway to the Southern Alps, home of the world’s greatest rugby team and birthplace
of yours truly!
So it was with great anticipation that I made the trip up from sunny Dunedin to attend the South Island New
Zealand Tattoo & Art Expo also known as S.I.N.Z.
Boasting 12 working tattoo booths, 2 body piercer’s, artist displays and stalls, hot rods, musicians and
a 30 category tattoo competition, the expo was a tribute to the abilities of the organizer extraordinaire Sue Moore (Tat2Sue).
Held at an excellent venue in the Christchurch Netball Centre, set against the stunning backdrop of Hagley Park
and blessed with superb Canterbury weather (we do get good days down here y’know..), there really was no way this event
could be anything other than the success it was.
There was some seriously good work on display with plenty of support from the local Christchurch Studios, a
good smattering of North Island crews,
a large contingent from the depths of Dunedin and Invercargill, plus representation
from Nelson, Kiakoura and Australia.
Special mention must be made of the guest judges Jan Hus and Hugo Goorhuis from Almere Tattoo Studio, who made
the trip down from the Netherlands for the show. Hugo has
an amazing Greg Orie bodysuit and Jan is a nephew of the legendary old school dutch artist Tattoo Peter, so it was fantastic
to have these gentlemen on board.
As always at events like these the real pleasure lies in meeting people who are truly enthusiasts about the
noble art of tattooing, be it traditional Ta Moko or new skool insanity. It is always best to see great tattoos in the flesh,
especially the folks with serious coverage. The time and dedication that goes into a bodysuit really is something to be respected.
Hopefully these photos do the S.I.N.Z. Expo justice, as it was an exceptionally well-run occasion.
If everyone who attended enjoyed themselves as much as I did then there were some extremely happy (and tired)
tattoo fiends in the deep south that night.
Words by Brendan from Dig A Tattoo Studio Dunedin.
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Southern Ink Testimonail
Southern Ink Tattoos NZ
Our studio has been operating here in Christchurch for over 8 years now, with
plenty of customers from around New Zealand and overseas. Many people enquire after
upcoming tattoo events and competitions, in which they could showcase their new body art.
Unfortunately, within NZ and especially around the south island, tattoo shows are few and far between. In our years
tattooing, there have only been a handful of tattoo events held in New Zealand,
and not many, if any, in Christchurch. That is, until Tat2Sue came along!
with minimum experience in event organization, but a vision of what she wanted, she pulled off the most well presented tattoo
event this country has ever hosted!
the set up was fantastic, with 2 floors of professional working booths. in our experience
the facilities were well up there with international convention standards, with plenty of room, black walls which were perfect
for displaying art and merchandise, and a wee bag with samples and promotional stuff for the artists participating. The layout of the area was well organized and easy to navigate, and spectator friendly.
With live music, friendly bar staff, plenty
of stalls and other entertainment to fill the day from its kick off at 9am, time flew by and then it was outside
to the stage to witness the tattoo competition. With hundreds of entrants, the
overseas judges had their work cut out for them, but it was obviously a pleasure due to the high standard of work displayed. Sue's hard work showed in the quality of the prizes and unique trophies handed out,
making them unique pieces anyone would want to proudly display, whether in their homes or studios.
All
in all it was a top notch event, and we are all behind her to back the next eagerly awaited SINZ. If that is what Sue can do on a wing and a prayer, imagine how great the next one will be with a little
more experience, hindsight, advertising and vision.
We wish her all the very best, and look
forward to any new projects she cooks up!!!
The Team at Southern Ink Tattoo Studio
Southern Ink Web Site
Suzy Q Testimonial
The SINZ show, organized by Sue Moore, was a great success in 2006. I was more than happy with
the location of the show at the netball centre which had been well advertised in international magazines and through Christchurch
prior to the show. The size and presentation of my booth was generous to say the least, and the organizing staff were on hand
for anything that was needed through the day. There was a great atmosphere on the day with a steady stream of visitors; the
entertainment, bar, food, video screens and competitions kept everyone happy. The awards for competition winners were unique
and hand-crafted, together with runner-up prizes. This was my first visit to NZ and I was inundated with requests for tattoos,
but unfortunately not enough time to do them all! I wish Sue all the best of luck with her 2nd SINZ show in 2008.
Suzi Q, Hold Fast Tattoos, Perth, Australia.
Suzy Q website
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Nadine Bryant Testimonail
"Skinks"
S.I.N.Z Expo 2006
Skinks Professional
Tattoo Studio.
After several
years without a premier New Zealand Tattoo event to attend it was fantastic to find a lady who took it upon herself to put
together one of the biggest and most professionally run tattoo events ever to be seen in New Zealand.
I have attended
many overseas events of a similar nature and the S.I.N.Z Expo definately measured up and in most cases outdid those events.
The booth sizes for each working artist was ample with plenty of space to hang promotional items and a welcome pack containing
an array of items meant if you had left anything behind you probably had it in the pack. The atmosphere was warm and friendly
with plenty of helpers around should you need some lunch or a coffee or just to get away from your stall for a while.
The event was rounded off by a great team who had non stop entertainment organized to keep you going all
day.
The retreat after
the main event was a lovely idea that allowed the artists who went to catch up in a peaceful environment, a welcome change
from finishing the convention and rushing off to the next weeks work.
All in all I
would love to see another event of the same nature to take place and whole heartedly support Sue Moores efforts it making
the next one bigger and better, though it may be hard to top.
Yours sincerely Nadine
Bryant
"Skinks"
Skinks Web Site
Spike At The Art Testimonail
'SINZ 2006' show was an colourful antipodean splendor. All credit goes to you
and your team for the smooth running of the event which made it a great success, we attend shows all over the world and
it was one of the best, hopefully we will be there to experience 2008.
Mike...Spike at the Art Plymouth UK
Greg Ashwell "Atawera Art"
To whom it may concern
I have been asked to write a short testimonial regarding the
SINZ Tat2 EXPO 06.
Fantastic is the word that comes to mind when I think of the
SINZ Tat2 EXPO. Sue is to be congratulated for her organisation of this event. To have arranged the number of great artists
that attended (from NZ and overseas), the entertainment and guest MC, the tattoo comp and guest judges, the super friendly
officals and helpers, the overseas magazine coverage, EXPO merchandise, not to mention the great central location of the venue
with plenty of car parking and easy access, and a retreat for a few days after the event cannot have been easy. But the
whole thing moved along with no obvious problems from my point of veiw as an attending artist.
I cannot speak highly enough of the whole event and Sue's obvious
commitment to the EXPO itself and to the number of artists that attended. I am very pleased to hear that another EXPO is planned
and look forward to the possibility of attending once more, and would not hesitate to encourage other artists and possible
supporters to become involved.
Thank you once again Sue for your time and commitment
to further our art work.
Yours sincerly
Greg Ashwell
Atawera Art
Kaikoura NZ.
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Enter supporting content here

Protat website link
S.I.N.Z. is Proudlly Sponsored by Tat-2 Supply |

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Gooses Screen Printers Ltd
The saga about the hazzle I had to get compensated for their shoody workmanship.
Click the link below.
This page is about the Gooses Screen Printers Ltd Saga,my personal battle to be fairly compensated for the faulty garments
I paid $7862 for.
remember,growing older is mandatory
growing up is optional #
#
\__/
Sue would like to thank all the Christchurch Artist's who've
been very positive and supportive with this endeavour,your continued support will be wot will make this show a winner for
everybody involved.Christchurch Tattoo Artist's Rock.
This site is constanly being up-dated,if you've past info on to Sue,please be patient,she will endeavour to up-date as quickly
as possible...
Christchurch's Only Tattoo and
Art Expo
This site will be up-dated often,If
u find any of the information on this site is in-correct
please contact James or Sue at
and we will correct it
a.s.a.p.
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