MetroVanIndependent.com
August 2015
15
Lifestyle/entertainment
From the Cordillera to New York
Vancouver tattoo artist wins big in New York
By Luisa Marshall
Filipino Canadian artist Mayo Landicho
became the pride of Vancouver’s most
celebrated tattoo artists as he added
another award to his name.
In June this year, he won 1st & 2nd
Place awards for the “Best Tribal” tattoos at
the Urban Tattoo Convention in New York.
He likewise won top prize at the Westcoast
Tattoo Show in 2012 and Westrock Tattoo
Convention in 2013.
His inspiration as a tattoo artist: “Arts,
it's something that is permanent, and
represents who you are… the artistic and
cultural aspect about it… I just love doing
art on someone else's skin,” Landicho said.
Modern day tat too ar tist Mayo
L andicho’s talents go beyond his
expectations as he went on a dangerous
journey and explored the village of Kalinga
to meet the last Kalinga tattoo artist in the
world.
Humbled and honored to receive his
own personal tattoo from the 94-year-old
traditional tattoo-tapping ‘batok elder’, he
diligently learned the traditional technique
and practiced his newfound skill on
the elderly Whang-Od. Happy with the
outcome, Whang-Od gave her blessings
to Landicho to use the age-old tradition of
Landicho in Kalinga-Apayao, Philippines.
“The best part of this journey
is meeting a lot of people and
amazing artists that inspire
me more... learning more about
different cultures and their
deeper cultural connection with
the body art."
hand tapping in the modern world.
“The best part of this journey is meeting
a lot of people and amazing artists that
inspire me more... learning more about
different cultures and their deeper cultural
connection with the body art... being
recognized for what I do and representing
my own ethnic or cultural roots in body art
which is something unique and truly ours...
and keeping our tradition and identity
through the art of tattooing”, Landicho
added.
In addition to being a tattoo artist, Mayo
is also an amazing musician.
If having to choose between being a
musician and a tattoo artist, he said, “it's
really hard to choose between a tattoo
arti