Kari Barba
Born (1960-07-10) July 10, 1960
Minneapolis
NationalityAmerican
Known forIllustrative Realism style tattooing

Kari Barba (born July 10, 1960) is an American tattoo artist and painter from Minneapolis.[1] Barba has been practicing art for over 40 years and is best known for her work for women within the tattoo industry.[2] Barba is based in Long Beach, California. She is the owner of Outer Limits Tattoo, the oldest tattoo shop in the United States.[3]

Background

At 19 years old, Barba began her tattoo art career.[4] In 1980, she moved from Minnesota to California to pursue tattooing full time.[5] By 1983, she opened her first tattoo shop in Anaheim, California, Twilight Fantasy.[6] From the beginning, Barba prioritized hiring female tattooers in order to diversify the notoriously male industry.[7]

Since 1985, Barba has earned more than 500 awards for tattoo excellence. She won the Best Tattooist and also Best Overseas Tattooist twice.[8] In 1985, she won Best Black and Grey Tattoo in Seattle, WA.[9] In 1987, she won her first National Tattoo Associations' Tattooist of the Year.[10]

Barba is known for her illustrative realism style.[11] She is one of the first artists to tattoo in the style of color realism.[12] Barba was one of the first tattoo artist to wear gloves and wrap her equipment, and therefore recognized for spearheading the sterile standards in the tattoo industry.[2]

Her accomplishments include the acquisition of a historically important tattoo shop and museum. In 2002, Barba acquired 22 S. Chestnut Pl in Long Beach.[13] The location, originally opened by renowned tattooist Bert Grimm, has operated as a tattoo shop since 1927.[14] The shop also houses a tattoo museum paying tribute to The Pike and artists past.[15]

A silicone arm tattooed by Barba was featured in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in 2018.[16] Barba is regularly part of the jury of experts for the Mondial du Tatouage in Paris, France.[17]

Barba's 4th and final apprentice was tattooist Jenny Nguyen.[18]

Exhibitions

Personal life

Barba's son, Jeremiah Barba, is a tattooist and shop owner.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "From Bert Grimm to Outer Limits, This Long Beach Tattoo Shop Remains the Oldest in the World – OC Weekly". www.ocweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  2. 1 2 "Kari Barba: The Queen of Modern Tattooing – Scene360". Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  3. ↑ Preston, Devon. "Visit 11 of the Oldest Tattoo Shops in the World". Tattoo Ideas, Artists and Models. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  4. ↑ "Peace in Life: Interview with Tattoo Artist Kari Barba". Tattoodo. 2020-08-31. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  5. ↑ "Meet Kari Barba: Business owner, Tattoo artist and painter". SHOUTOUT LA. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  6. ↑ "Meet the Maker - Kari Barba". MADE by Millworks. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  7. ↑ Yuen Thompson, Beverly (2015). Covered in Ink: Tattoos, Women, and The Politics of the Body. New York: New York University Press. pp. 13–14, 45, 63, 127, 135–137. ISBN 978-0-8147-6000-0.
  8. ↑ Lal Hardy (15 March 2012). The Mammoth Book of Tattoo Art. United Kingdom: Little, Brown Book Group. p. 39. ISBN 9781780339214.
  9. ↑ Eng, Lily (1991-03-27). "An Indelible Mark : Trends: Kari Barba, who owns a tattoo studio in Anaheim, has drawn a reputation as a master among American tattooists because of the care and artistry she puts into her work". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  10. ↑ Articles, National Tattoo Association News &. "Flo's 2-Bits||March - April 2021". National Tattoo Association NTA Cruisers Online News Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  11. ↑ "TattooNOW Show with Tattoo Queen, Kari Barba". reinventingthetattoo. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  12. ↑ "'I ain't having no chick tattoo me': Kari Barba's smiling revolution". lbpost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  13. ↑ Stories, Local. "Meet Kari Barba of Outer Limits Tattoo in Long Beach - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  14. ↑ Chesler, Josh (2017-10-16). "Long Beach Legend Kari Barba Broke Tattooing's Glass Ceiling Without Even Realizing It". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  15. ↑ "Outer Limits Tattoo | Costa Mesa Shop Info". outer-limits-tattoo. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  16. 1 2 "Press - Tattoo Exhibition Spotlights Southern Californian Artists at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | Natural History Museum". nhm.org. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  17. ↑ "Le Mondial du Tatouage 2018". www.heartbeatink.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  18. ↑ Stories, Local. "Meet Jenny Nguyen - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  19. ↑ "CaixaForum Madrid presents the biggest exhibition ever devoted to the history of tattooing". Fundación "la Caixa". 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  20. ↑ Vankin, Deborah. "Tattoo you: Freddy Negrete, the black-and-gray style and an L.A. museum's new interactive exhibition". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  21. ↑ Mahdil, Maison. "TATTOO". None. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  22. ↑ "Jeremiah Barba of Conclave Art Studio Talks About His Tattoo Heritage – OC Weekly". www.ocweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.

Further reading

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