LILY GLORIA
Lily Gloria grew up in Melbourne crawling on the floors of her families fine dining restaurants. Her grandmother Gloria, the matriarch of the family, was a powerhouse with no filter, high standards and a way of seeing the world that was all her own. This rubbed off onto little Lily.
Lily began searching for her place as an artist in this world starting at Monash University where she completed her Bachelor of Communication Design. Studying at their campus in Prato, Italy for a term deepened her love for travel. New York was the dream though and in 2012, she made the leap. Knowing no one and having no real plan she decided to try it all. Interning in the city for graffiti website 12ozProphet and website Karmaloop, designing for Brooklyn Industries and exhibiting photographs alongside the likes of Martha Cooper, she was finding her groove.
Lily was at a friends Dumbo art studio drawing with her mates and mustered the courage to tell them she wanted to try stick and poke tattooing. On the spot they all lovingly pushed her into trying it then and there. With a push pin, pen ink and tequila to sterilise, her tattooing journey began.
Simple, graphic and clean are the elements that shine through in Lily’s tattoos. With the majority of her clients being women she strives to empower them by helping take back ownership of their bodies in a world where everyone thinks they’re allowed to have an opinion on how we present ourselves. We tear ourselves apart, the media, our boyfriends, our parents, internet trolls, we’re crucified over and over about the way we look. Tattoos can help piece us back together. This is now Lily’s mission through her practice.
What is one thing you would change/create to make the world a better place for women?
Free tampons.
