bio/ cv
ARTIST BIO:
Tania Arens was born 1969 in Manhattan, N.Y.C. At the age of 7 she and her father moved to Germany, where she came to live with her German grandparents. Her father was a graphic designer and illustrator; her grandparents were painters and printmakers. So for better or worse, she was provided an artistic background from early age.
While still in high school, Tania decided to follow her artistic genes by quitting school in order “to travel and become a painter.” She eventually attended the Staedel School of Fine Arts in Frankfurt. She studied painting from 1988 till 1993. However, finding more inspiration outside of the classroom she painted in junkyards, graveyards, bars and nightclubs, and on the streets of Frankfurt, Turkey, Greece, and Morocco.
In 1993 she was offered an apprenticeship in tattooing at a shop in Frankfurt which she gladly accepted. She apprenticed for 4 years, and worked at various tattoo shops throughout Frankfurt and Hamburg until 1999 when her curiosity for the history of tattooing in various cultures sent her off traveling once again with her art having become heavily influenced by the magic and meaning of tattooing.
After exploring the east and west coast of the United States, she went on to Polynesia... where her attempt to “travel the world” was halted by becoming "marooned" in paradise on the island of Maui, which has been home to her since 2001. It was on Maui of all places where she would rediscover her grandparents' art form, printmaking, which she was reintroduced to by master printmaker, Paul Mullowney at Hui Press. Through ink, carving and etching, she explores the commonalty of fine art and tattooing, often combining various intaglio and Japanese woodblock printing techniques into striking, visceral images. Currently she lives and works on Maui, Hawaii tattooing, printmaking, painting… and sometimes fishing.
CV
Tania Arens
Lives and works on Maui, Hawaii
Education
Staedelschule, Frankfurt, Germany
Apprenticeship in Tattooing, Frankfurt, Germany
Group Exhibitions
2013 'Art Maui' 2013
2012 'The Blue Show', Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HI
2012 'Hui No'eau Annual Juried Exhibition', Makawao, HI
2012 Kahilu Gallery “14+1: Hawai’i Printmaking Now” Kailua, Hawai’i
2011 'Student Salon Exhibit' Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, Makawao,HI
2011 'Honolulu Printmakers Annual Juried Exhibition' Academy Arts
Center, Honolulu, HI
2009 'Honolulu Printmakers Annual Juried Exhibition' HNL,HI
2008 'Honolulu Printmakers Annual Juried Exhibition', HNL, HI
2008 'Kites!' Hui No' Eau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HI
2007 'War and Peace exhibit' The Hawaii Institute for Human Rights, HI
2007 Honolulu Academy of Arts ''Artists of Hawaii 2007'' Honolulu, HI
2006 Maui Hands, group exhibition ''Ink, Wire, Paint'' Paia, HI
2004 Wild Banana Gallery's ''International Underground''
Whitney Young Cultural Center, San Francisco Ca.
Solo Shows
1998 ''Wasserbilder'' Gallerie Atmo, Frankfurt, Germany
1997 ''Marocco'' Gallerie Atmo, Frankfurt
1990 ''Kreta'' Gallerie Atmo, Frankfurt
1988 Gallerie Gegenwart, Frankfurt
1988,''Mahlings'' Gallerie Krieg, Frankfurt
Honors
2012 Honorable Mention, Hui No'eau Visual Art Center, Makawao
2011 Award for excellence in memorial of Peter Morse, Honolulu Printmakers, Academy Art Center,Honolulu
2008 Award for excellence in relief printmaking, Honolulu Printmakers, Academy Art Center, Honolulu
Publications
2011 Honolulu Starbulletin
2008 Honolulu Starbulletin
2004 International Tattoo magazine
Current occupation
Tattooartist, Paiatattooparlor, Maui
Printstudio-tech, Hui no'eau visual Art center, Maui
Tania Arens was born 1969 in Manhattan, N.Y.C. At the age of 7 she and her father moved to Germany, where she came to live with her German grandparents. Her father was a graphic designer and illustrator; her grandparents were painters and printmakers. So for better or worse, she was provided an artistic background from early age.
While still in high school, Tania decided to follow her artistic genes by quitting school in order “to travel and become a painter.” She eventually attended the Staedel School of Fine Arts in Frankfurt. She studied painting from 1988 till 1993. However, finding more inspiration outside of the classroom she painted in junkyards, graveyards, bars and nightclubs, and on the streets of Frankfurt, Turkey, Greece, and Morocco.
In 1993 she was offered an apprenticeship in tattooing at a shop in Frankfurt which she gladly accepted. She apprenticed for 4 years, and worked at various tattoo shops throughout Frankfurt and Hamburg until 1999 when her curiosity for the history of tattooing in various cultures sent her off traveling once again with her art having become heavily influenced by the magic and meaning of tattooing.
After exploring the east and west coast of the United States, she went on to Polynesia... where her attempt to “travel the world” was halted by becoming "marooned" in paradise on the island of Maui, which has been home to her since 2001. It was on Maui of all places where she would rediscover her grandparents' art form, printmaking, which she was reintroduced to by master printmaker, Paul Mullowney at Hui Press. Through ink, carving and etching, she explores the commonalty of fine art and tattooing, often combining various intaglio and Japanese woodblock printing techniques into striking, visceral images. Currently she lives and works on Maui, Hawaii tattooing, printmaking, painting… and sometimes fishing.
CV
Tania Arens
Lives and works on Maui, Hawaii
Education
Staedelschule, Frankfurt, Germany
Apprenticeship in Tattooing, Frankfurt, Germany
Group Exhibitions
2013 'Art Maui' 2013
2012 'The Blue Show', Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HI
2012 'Hui No'eau Annual Juried Exhibition', Makawao, HI
2012 Kahilu Gallery “14+1: Hawai’i Printmaking Now” Kailua, Hawai’i
2011 'Student Salon Exhibit' Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, Makawao,HI
2011 'Honolulu Printmakers Annual Juried Exhibition' Academy Arts
Center, Honolulu, HI
2009 'Honolulu Printmakers Annual Juried Exhibition' HNL,HI
2008 'Honolulu Printmakers Annual Juried Exhibition', HNL, HI
2008 'Kites!' Hui No' Eau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HI
2007 'War and Peace exhibit' The Hawaii Institute for Human Rights, HI
2007 Honolulu Academy of Arts ''Artists of Hawaii 2007'' Honolulu, HI
2006 Maui Hands, group exhibition ''Ink, Wire, Paint'' Paia, HI
2004 Wild Banana Gallery's ''International Underground''
Whitney Young Cultural Center, San Francisco Ca.
Solo Shows
1998 ''Wasserbilder'' Gallerie Atmo, Frankfurt, Germany
1997 ''Marocco'' Gallerie Atmo, Frankfurt
1990 ''Kreta'' Gallerie Atmo, Frankfurt
1988 Gallerie Gegenwart, Frankfurt
1988,''Mahlings'' Gallerie Krieg, Frankfurt
Honors
2012 Honorable Mention, Hui No'eau Visual Art Center, Makawao
2011 Award for excellence in memorial of Peter Morse, Honolulu Printmakers, Academy Art Center,Honolulu
2008 Award for excellence in relief printmaking, Honolulu Printmakers, Academy Art Center, Honolulu
Publications
2011 Honolulu Starbulletin
2008 Honolulu Starbulletin
2004 International Tattoo magazine
Current occupation
Tattooartist, Paiatattooparlor, Maui
Printstudio-tech, Hui no'eau visual Art center, Maui
