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Kari Barba

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Kari Barba
Born (1960-07-10) July 10, 1960 (age 64)
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 45 years and is best known for her work for women within the tattoo industry.[2] Barba is based in Long Beach, California. She is co-owner of Outer Limits Tattoo in Long Beach, CA, the oldest tattoo shop in the United States. She also owns Outer Limits Tattoo in Costa Mesa [3]

Background

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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][7] From the beginning, Barba prioritized hiring female tattooers in order to diversify the notoriously male industry.[8]

Since 1985, Barba has earned more than 500 awards for tattoo excellence. She won the Best Tattooist and also Best Overseas Tattooist twice.[9] In 1985, she won Best Black and Grey Tattoo in Seattle, WA.[10] In 1987, she won her first National Tattoo Associations' Tattooist of the Year.[11]

Barba is known for her illustrative realism style.[12] She is one of the first artists to tattoo in the style of color realism.[13] 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.[14] The location, originally opened by renowned tattooist Bert Grimm, has operated as a tattoo shop since 1927.[15] The shop also houses a tattoo museum paying tribute to The Pike and artists past.[16]

A silicone arm tattooed by Barba was featured in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in 2018.[17] Barba is regularly part of the jury of experts for the Mondial du Tatouage in Paris, France.[18]

Barba's final apprentice is her granddaughter and tattooist Mia Barba.[19]

Exhibitions

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Personal life

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Barba is married to her wife of 18 years, Teri Mullins. Barba's son is a tattooist and shop owner and her daughter is a successful professional at Orange Coast Community College. She has two granddaughters.[23]

References

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  1. ^ "From Bert Grimm to Outer Limits, This Long Beach Tattoo Shop Remains the Oldest in the World – OC Weekly". www.ocweekly.com. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  2. ^ a b "Kari Barba: The Queen of Modern Tattooing – Scene360". Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  3. ^ Preston, Devon (20 November 2018). "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. ^ "Kari Barba — Tattoo Artist in Long Beach". ink-match.com. 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  7. ^ "Meet the Maker - Kari Barba". MADE by Millworks. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Lal Hardy (15 March 2012). The Mammoth Book of Tattoo Art. United Kingdom: Little, Brown Book Group. p. 39. ISBN 9781780339214.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Articles, National Tattoo Association News &. "Flo's 2-Bits||March - April 2021". National Tattoo Association NTA Cruisers Online News Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  12. ^ "TattooNOW Show with Tattoo Queen, Kari Barba". reinventingthetattoo. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  13. ^ "'I ain't having no chick tattoo me': Kari Barba's smiling revolution". lbpost.com. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  14. ^ Stories, Local (3 August 2020). "Meet Kari Barba of Outer Limits Tattoo in Long Beach - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Outer Limits Tattoo | Costa Mesa Shop Info". outer-limits-tattoo. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  17. ^ a b "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.
  18. ^ "Le Mondial du Tatouage 2018". www.heartbeatink.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  19. ^ Stories, Local (24 August 2020). "Meet Jenny Nguyen - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  20. ^ "CaixaForum Madrid presents the biggest exhibition ever devoted to the history of tattooing". Fundación "la Caixa". 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Mahdil, Maison. "TATTOO". None. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  23. ^ "Jeremiah Barba of Conclave Art Studio Talks About His Tattoo Heritage – OC Weekly". www.ocweekly.com. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 2022-02-28.

Further reading

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