Zaza Vera is a mexican tattoo artist born in Mexico City in 1973. Born in a non traditional family she was exposed to an eclectic perspective of Life from a very early age. In an attempt to “normalize” her formation her parents signed her on a traditional catholic elementary school while enrolling her in classic oil painting training with a dear family friend who was active part of the gay scene in her hometown.
Her grandmother Emma who was a teacher and part of the socialist movement on the 1940’s in Mexico was in charge of Zaza’s education on her teen years. Her strict yet liberal approach influenced the teenager and the whole family very strongly.
High school education was crucial for her since she attended at UNAM , the Autonomous National University of Mexico which has a long respected reputation for its humanistic approach on all of its careers.
After the wild high school years (in which she got her first tattoo and first introduction to this art form…and broken hearts) Vera was selected to study Visual Arts on the same institution as a college degree at the National Plastic Arts School (ENAP by its spanish name). She quitted after 2 years in search of a freer formation.
On this search she ended studying a year of Marine Biology at the Sea University (UMAR) in Oaxaca,Mex. She quitted again only to go back to her true love: ART,this time as an apprentice on Art Restoration.
She moved on from Apprentice to Team Captain soon and she worked in this field for 6 years at the project of the National Numismatic Museum in Mexico City and the restoration of the Postal Palace in the same city.
This gave her the classic formation and techniques she craved for while giving her a practical application of these and the inspiration and nourishment for her personal painting explorations.
It was around this era when she reconnected with tattooing in a very informal way but the seed was planted.
On a trip to the Mexican Southeast and the caribbean she was given the chance that would change her life forever by being offered a formal apprenticing at Por Amor al Arte Tattoo Studio in Playa del Carmen. She started her tattoo formation there for a while and continued it at Tattoomania Studio in Mexico City on the late 90’s.
The 90’s offered Mexico a glimpse of what Tattooing could be through USA and some European magazines. In Mexico tattooing was very limited and only a few young brave ones had adventured on trying it as a way of artistic and creative expression. There was no access to information or even materials and equipment…the 90’s would be the beginning of the Mexican Tattoo scene. It was a hard time to start a tattooing career as a woman.Zaza’s artistic female references in tattooing were mostly from USA magazines…that is how she first became familiar with her personal heroe Madame Lazonga……
It had to be the change of the Century that brought her to finally embrace tattooing as her own Art Media of expression….Cozumel, in the Mexican Caribbean again , was the city where she found the perfect space and environment to do so at Maya Tattoo where she was accepted as an artist and tutored by all the artists there for 5 years. It was in this little piece of paradise where she was given the most precious gift of her life by becoming a mother of a beautiful boy: her son Salomon.
Next move took her to the other side of Mexico, all the way to Puerto Vallarta where she finally consolidated her tattooing career by working at some of the most relevant shops in the city. (The Sixty Nine Tattoo, Bodyco Tattoo -which she managed as well-, and Vallarta Ink)
After 15 years of hard work , adventures,misadventures,pursued dreams,life lessons and being a witness of the evolution of tattooing in all its spectrum (culturally, artistically, technically, socially) she can only say this is only the beginning of more……
Working side by side Madame Lazonga was a dream come true….so yeah…dreams come true..never give up and don’t be scared of the hard work…..
Heroes and legends are humans too aaaand every cycle has an end. Zaza keeps and will keep on the making of the masterpiece of Life till its done.
After 4 years still in Seattle!
~Zaza Verita
