Tattoo Anthropology, Documentary Film & Cultural Journalism

Documenting the History, Heritage and Living Traditions of Tattooing

Meraki Fade is an international tattoo artist, published journalist, documentary filmmaker and tattoo anthropology researcher with over 20 years of experience in the tattoo industry. Her work explores the ancient origins of tattooing, its cultural significance and the continued practice of traditional tattoo art among Indigenous communities worldwide.

Through extensive field research, interviews, photography and documentary filmmaking, Meraki has travelled to remote communities across Borneo, West Sumatra, Polynesia, Thailand and beyond, documenting ancestral tattoo traditions and the people preserving them.

Her research examines the symbolism, spiritual beliefs, social identities and histories embedded within traditional tattooing, combining first-hand cultural encounters with historical investigation and visual storytelling.

​

Published Journalism & Documentary Film

Meraki’s writing and research have been published in leading international tattoo publications, including Total Tattoo, Skin Deep, Tattoo Master and Ladies of Tattooing Worldwide, where she has also contributed as a writer and co-editor.

Her documentary productions explore the cultural and historical significance of traditional tattooing, featuring interviews with Indigenous tattoo practitioners, elders and cultural custodians. Her films have been screened internationally at tattoo conventions and film festivals, bringing lesser-documented tattoo histories to wider audiences.

Her fieldwork includes studying traditional Iban hand-tapped tattooing in Sarawak, Borneo, and documenting the tattoo traditions of the Mentawai people of West Sumatra, alongside research into Polynesian tattoo heritage and the sacred Sak Yant traditions of Thailand.

​

Lectures, Museums & Cultural Education

Alongside her journalism and filmmaking, Meraki lectures on tattoo history, anthropology and cultural heritage.

She has delivered presentations at the Great North Museum in Newcastle, universities in Sussex, the Boston Folk Art Society in the United States and international tattoo conventions, sharing original field research, historical insights and documentary material.

She is also the founder and curator of the Brighton Tattoo Museum, an independent project dedicated to preserving, researching and communicating the history of tattooing across cultures and generations.

Her work bridges the contemporary tattoo industry with anthropology, museum education and cultural journalism, encouraging a deeper understanding of tattooing as one of humanity’s oldest forms of artistic and cultural expression.

 

Beneath the Surface— A Book in Development

Meraki is currently writing Ancient Tattoo Revival, a book drawing upon two decades of international travel, tattoo practice, cultural research and encounters with traditional tattoo communities.

Combining personal narrative, investigative journalism and tattoo anthropology, the book explores the people, histories and living traditions behind ancestral tattooing, examining how these practices have survived, evolved and continue to hold meaning in the modern world.

Through her writing, films, lectures and ongoing research, Meraki is committed to documenting tattoo history with cultural respect, historical curiosity and an emphasis on the voices of those who carry these traditions forward.

Explore Meraki’s documentary films, published articles, lectures and international research expeditions below.