PROFILES

Kip Fulbeck

Kip Fulbeck is the author of several books, including Part Asian, 100% Hapa (Chronicle Books, 2006) and Permanence: Tattoo Portraits by Kip Fulbeck (Chronicle Books, 2008). He has exhibited and performed spoken word throughout the U.S. and abroad, including solo exhibitions at the Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles), Invisible NYC Gallery (New York), Space180 Gallery (San Francisco), the Field Museum (Chicago), the Yokohama Museum of Migration (Yokohama), and the Nikkei National Museum (Vancouver). A Professor of Art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he is the recipient of the university’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and has been featured on CNN, MTV, CBC Canada, Voice of America, National Public Radio, and The New York Times.

Ryudaibori (formerly Horitaka), Takahiro Kitamura

Ryudaibori (formerly Horitaka) is a tattoo artist as well as the author and publisher of numerous books on tattoo art and culture. His books include Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo (Schiffer Publishing, 2001), Tattooing From Japan to the West (Schiffer Publishing, 2004); and Tattoos of the Floating World: Ukiyo-e Motifs in Japanese Tattoo (KIT Publishers, 2003). Ryudaibori is renowned for his advocacy of Japanese tattooing as an art form and has worked as a visiting artist across the U.S. and Europe. Ryudaibori has lectured at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara and conferences held in Italy and Hawaii. He is the co-founder and co-director of the annual Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts and the owner of State of Grace tattoo shop in San Jose, California. His graphic designs have been used by Nike SB, Bacardi, and many other companies.