Originally from Porto Alegre, Brazil, Italo Holie is a tattoo artist and street artist based in Tauranga, New Zealand, and the founder of Afterlife Tattoo NZ.

With over 20 years immersed in graffiti and street art and more than 12 years of tattooing experience, Holie’s work is heavily influenced by urban culture, bold composition, contrast and the natural flow of the human body.

His tattooing focuses mainly on black & grey realism, blackwork, dark art, lettering, freehand and cybersigilism, with a particular passion for larger-scale pieces and custom projects.

Holie’s approach goes beyond simply placing an image on the skin. Each piece is designed to work with the client’s anatomy, movement and individuality, often combining stencil work with freehand elements to create artwork that feels naturally built for the body.

As the founder of Afterlife Tattoo NZ, Holie has created a space that brings together his background in street culture, art and tattooing — with a focus on originality, artistic freedom and creating tattoos that are personal to the people wearing them.