Making your mark workshop with Francesca Contaldo
SaVĀge K'lub Closing d’Activation

SaVĀge K’lub: Te Paepae Aora’i – Where the Gods Cannot be Fooled, installation view of Rosanna Raymond, Salvador Brown and Francesca Contaldo, Tatatau (un)convention, 2024, from the series Valley of the Dolls, mixed media. Courtesy of the SaVAge K'lub. Photograph: Kerrie Brewer.
Free, bookings essential
Duration: 90 min
Join tattoo artist Francesca Contaldo in the SaVĀge K'lub to learn about traditional and contemporary mark making practices.
This workshop invites participants to explore Francesca’s mark making practice, bridging ancient traditions and contemporary expression. In this workshop, Francesca will share her extensive research and creative process, drawing on her use of tattoo, painting, and pottery to honour ancestral art forms.
Participants will design their own marks inspired by the patterns within the SaVĀge K’lub exhibition and gain a deeper understanding of mark making as a powerful tool for storytelling, identity, and connection to heritage. Through creative exploration, participants can begin to envision bodies as vessels for culture, where marks serve not only as decoration, but as a meaningful bridge between past, present, and future.
This workshop is suitable for people of all ages and abilities. No previous making experience is required.
Children must be accompanied by a participating adult.
All materials will be provided.
This program is part of the SaVĀge K'lub Closing d’Activation. See the full program for more workshops, talks and performances.
artist
Francesca Contaldo. Image provided by artist.
Francesca Contaldo
Francesca was born in Puglia, southern Italy, with her roots extending through the Mediterranean waters. After moving to Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2020, she was introduced to Moana Nui art and tattooing, sparking her fascination with the symbolism and rituals of body markings. This led her to research ancient tattoo practices of Puglia’s indigenous peoples documented in Greek and Roman records, ceramics, and stelae-carved stone monuments. While the purpose of these tattoos remains uncertain, depictions highlight women adorned with intricate hand and arm designs.
Feeling the responsibility to revive this tradition, Francesca has collaborated with academic researchers and is mentored by Tā Moko practitioner Mokonuiarangi Smith. Through tattoo, painting, and pottery, she reimagines her ancestors’ art, reconnecting with her heritage and honouring their memory as a bridge between past and present.
In 2022 she formed Stelae Marks and started her own mark making practice and has been exhibiting and selling works locally and globally. Highlights include the inclusion of her artwork in the SaVĀge K’lub exhibitions in the United Kingdom and Australia. She is currently based in West Auckland in her shared studio Ana Pekapeka or you can find her working alongside her mentor who resides at the Corbans Estate Art Centre.
'I hope to be a vessel for future generations to continue, connect, and respect those who came before us.'
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