THE TALKS

For the first edition of the Como Tattoo Convention®, we have organized seminars and talks with pioneers and experts in the field, offering an in-depth look at the many facets of tattoo history, from antiquity to the present day.

THE TALKS

MO’O TATAU’s SEMINAR

THE SACRED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE TATTOER AND THE TATTOED PERSON.

RAZZOUK FAMILY’s SEMINAR

RAZZOUK 1300: HISTORY AND TRADITION
OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST TATTOOING FAMILY.

The guests of our Talks:

Lars Krutak

Tattoo anthropologist, photographer and writer based in Washington, D.C. he is a research associate at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the author of several books on indigenous tattoo culture and practices.
He hosted the Discovery Channel series Tattoo Hunter and his writings have also appeared in academic journals, edited volumes and popular magazines worldwide.

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Gian Maurizio Fercioni and
Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone

Gian Maurizio Fercioni, a historic tattoo artist from Milan, and Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone, anthropologist and curator of the exhibition “Tattoo. Stories from the Mediterranean” at MUDEC in Milan.
The couple will bring their knowledge to the Como Tattoo Convention® through interviews, talks, and a dedicated museum-style area.

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Gian Paolo Pirazzi

Born in 1967, he is one of the pioneers of piercing in Italy. Fascinated by Body Art and tribal rituals from a young age, he turned his passion into a profession by opening one of the first Italian studios dedicated exclusively to piercing.
With a journey rich in experimentation and international education, he has also explored practices such as suspensions, scarification, and other advanced forms of body modification. Today, he collaborates with leading studios in Milan.

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elisa fosforino aka Rote Zora

Graduated in Art History and Criticism, she is a writer and teacher.
She will present her latest publication “Body Act – Body Suspension, Piercing and Tattoos”, published by AgenziaX.

Body Act is a collective journey into the discovery of physical and mental transformations, embodied to reach the extreme and explore the furthest, most unimaginable limits.

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LUCA TALIA

Luca Talia is a tattoo artist renowned for his mastery of tribal and geometric styles.
Over the years, he has had the opportunity to delve deep into this tradition, studying its meanings and reinterpreting it with respect for its cultural roots. His goal is to convey not only the visual aspect of Polynesian tattooing, but also its depth and the significance it can hold for those who choose it.

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THE RAZZOUK FAMILY

For over 700 years, the Razzouk family has carried on the art of sacred tattooing, which began in Egypt with small crosses on the wrists of Copts and was later brought to Jerusalem as a sign of faith for pilgrims.
Today, Wassim, together with his sons Anton and Nizar, continues this unique tradition with ancient symbols such as the iconic Jerusalem Cross.

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GABRIELE DONNINI

Gabriele Donnini, one of the most renowned tattoo artists in Rome, will present the book “Amomamma. Il carcere visto attraverso il tatuaggio”, written in collaboration with Daniela Attili e Paola Bevere.

The volume explores tattooing as a form of communication, self-determination, and the exercise of freedom, highlighting—through a variety of perspectives—its implications within penitentiary institutions.

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Joe Patty

Joe Patty, a traditional tattooist from the Maluku islands. Revivalist, practitioner and teacher of the tattoo traditions from the indigenous Alifuru people located in the central-Maluku islands. He is one of the few left Alifuru tattooists in the world.
Come and see the ancient hand tapped and poking methods. He will be giving a short talk about the Alifuru culture, history and the various forms of tattooing within the islands.

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DAVIDE VALENTI

Davide Valenti is a high school teacher of philosophy and history.
He is registered on the list of street artists and books his space in the city every Sunday.

His lessons cover the ideas of philosophers throughout history, from Thales to the present day, engaging the public through questions and interactive workshops.

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MadamE Pagu, OMAR FASSIO, Riccardo Filimbaia e MANUELLA CRINI

The authors will present their book “Tattoografia. Analisi di un tatuaggio.”
The book explores tattooing as a universal and atavistic phenomenon, rooted both in human evolution and in individual development. Moving beyond the outdated idea that tattoos are a sign of discomfort, they are instead interpreted as a profound form of expression, comparable to dreams for the mind.

Through this perspective, the book analyzes tattoos as intimate narratives of emotions, desires, and personal stories.

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Gian Maurizio Fercioni

Born in Milan in 1946, Gian Maurizio Fercioni attended the Brera Art High School and completed the Set Design program at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1970. He made his debut at the Piccola Scala in 1969, designing the sets for the ballet Il circo by Elide Bonagiunta, set to music by Sergei Prokofiev. He later created sets and costumes for Mozart’s Il re pastore (1980) and designed the stage setup for Variété, a concert-show by Mauricio Kagel (1981), both also for the Piccola Scala.

In 1970, he began collaborating with the Piccolo Teatro di Milano as an assistant set designer. In 1973, he designed and made the masks for Toller by Tankred Dorst, directed by Patrice Chéreau. This led to further work with Chéreau’s team, eventually becoming the assistant to Richard Peduzzi, whom he later followed to Spoleto, Lyon, and Paris.

He established the costume department and designed costumes for all the productions of the Laboratorio Teatrale di Prato, directed by Luca Ronconi.

In 1972, alongside Andrée Ruth Shammah, Franco Parenti, and Giovanni Testori, he co-founded the Salone Pierlombardo in Milan, where he went on to design sets and costumes for over 40 productions directed by Shammah and Parenti, based on works by Shakespeare, Molière, Pirandello, De Filippo, Pinter, and Testori.

Throughout his career, he has designed sets and costumes for both opera and drama in major European theatres, working with renowned directors such as Roger Planchon, Werner Düggelin, Antoine Bourseiller, Peter Lotschak, Jean-Claude Auvray, Mario Morini, Bepi Morassi, Tobias Richter, Louis Erlo, Roberto Guicciardini, Luca De Filippo, Gabriele Salvatores, and Robert Sandoz. He has also worked in film, television, and advertising. In 2004, he oversaw the renovation of Milan’s Teatro Franco Parenti in collaboration with the De Lucchi architectural studio.

In parallel, in 1970 he opened the “Queequeg Tattoo Studio & Museum” in Milan — one of the first tattoo studios in Italy — which also houses his historical and anthropological collection. The collection includes tools for both modern and traditional tattooing, original flash art from around the world, vintage prints, and photographs of tattooed individuals from various cultures. By 2000, the studio had become a major reference point in Europe and worldwide for those interested in tattooing and was awarded official recognition by the City of Milan.

He has worked in Lyon and Oxford and has participated in the world’s major tattoo conventions for the past thirty years. Fercioni practices tattooing with both electric machines and traditional hand techniques, including the Japanese tebori method, which he learned in Japan from the legendary master Horiyoshi III.

He is the founder of T.I.P.A. (Italian Professional Tattoo Artists Association), an honorary member of T.A.I. (Italian Associated Tattoo Artists), and, since 1978, a member of the National Tattoo Association, which includes the world’s most important tattoo artists. He published a book on his mentor titled Horiyoshi III. The Art of Japanese Tattooing.

Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone

Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone is an anthropologist and tattoo historian, known as:

Author: She has published several books exploring themes related to art and culture, including Tattoo: History and Origins in Italy, an in-depth analysis of the tattoo’s history in the country.
Art Curator: Gnecchi Ruscone has a deep passion for art and has curated numerous successful exhibitions. Among the most recent is Tattoo. Stories from the Mediterranean, held at the Mudec Museum in Milan in 2024.
What is a tattoo? Why do people get tattooed today? What stories lie behind a mark that becomes forever “ours”?

This original and unprecedented exhibition project explores tattooing from a historical, anthropological, and cultural perspective, focusing on the Mediterranean basin — the region where the earliest undeniable evidence of tattooing has been found.

Starting with Ötzi, the oldest naturally mummified human body ever discovered bearing tattoos, the exhibition traces the history of tattooing from prehistoric evidence to the present day. It presents a compelling, kaleidoscopic collage of images, colors, and lived experiences as told by contemporary tattoo artists.

Set within a multimedia and interactive scenographic design by the Dotdotdot design studio, the exhibition features a rich array of documentation: objects, historical artifacts, tools, audio materials, video installations, infographics, prints, engravings, texts, and reproductions from prominent institutions and museum collections.

The exhibition is produced by 24 ORE Cultura – Gruppo 24 ORE and promoted by the City of Milan’s Department of Culture. It is curated by Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone and Guido Guerzoni, with the collaboration of Jurate Francesca Piacenti.

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THE TALKS

MO’O TATAU’s SEMINAR

THE SACRED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE TATTOER AND THE TATTOED PERSON.

RAZZOUK FAMILY’s SEMINAR

RAZZOUK 1300: HISTORY AND TRADITION
OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST TATTOOING FAMILY.