HISTORY
ROGER INGERTON
Born in Wellington 1939, grew up in Brooklyn & attended Rongatai College.
He began his working life studying architecture, but harboring a sense of adventure he joined the merchant navy where he first began to dabble with tattoos. He then spent time in Jamaica as a rigger in the early 1960's.
At sea Roger was exposed to Polynesian & Japanese tattoo arts but the practitioners were quite secretive.
In the late 1960’s Roger settled in Sydney Australia and began drawing designs for tattooist Wally Hammond. It was not long before he began executing those designs and a few months later Roger opened his own studio in Bondi.
The studio was a part-time venture as Roger carried on rigging during the day.
After a severe accident on site Roger returned to New Zealand in 1972 and worked alongside Kevin Gray at his tattoo studio located at 144 Vivian St,
Wellington.
Roger moved to Auckland in 1973 and tattooed alongside Merv O'Connor at
Studio 91.
In 1974 Roger moved back to Wellington and took over Kevin Gray's studio due to Kevin's retirement from tattooing.
Then in 1977 Roger moved the studio to 198 Cuba St and established 'Tatoo Art By Roger' to where it still stands and operates today.
For many years 'Tatoo Art By Roger' was the only tattoo shop in Wellington.
In the 70's tattoos were seen as art for seamen and hoods, they were not accepted in mainstream society. Roger made his own tools with no access to equipment tattooists needed to be able to service their own tattoo machines and inks.
Throughout the 70's Roger also continued art studies and exhibited paintings and drawings at various galleries.
Roger was featured in many tattoo books and publications around the world, such as being featured artist in Ed Hardy's book Tattoo Times - New Tribalism' In many ways Roger put New Zealand on the map around the world within tattoo circles.
Roger retired from tattooing in 2009 and handed his shop over to longtime friend and tattooist Tom Downs who worked alongside him since 2002.
Roger sadly passed away in 2015.
For 16 years, Tom carried on Roger’s tradition and preserved Roger’s Tatooart leaving the shop just as Roger left it honoring his legacy.
In April of 2025 Tom Downs passed down the shop to Dre Rock and with this new chapter for Roger’s Tatooart, Dre made the difficult decision to renovate the studio making it modern whilst still keeping true to the traditional feel that makes the shop what it is. Roger’s art and flash still adorns the walls of the studio and the flash is all available to be tattooed.
Roger was a true revolutionary for the tattoo industry in Aotearoa, an artist through and through as well as a true gentleman. He is still so missed by many. He was a giant in the world of tattooing and along other giants, he paved the way for the next generations of tattoo artists.
“I am in the service industry, and i am at your service”
- Roger Ingerton
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