Friday - April 26, 2024
About BorneoHeadHunter

Artist's Bio - Ernesto Kalum

Borneo Headhunters Tattoo and Piercing Studio is wholly owned and managed by Ernesto Kalum and is the only one located in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia, any other would be an imitation of some sort. He is a certified and experienced Tattoo Artist and Music Producer. Despite graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Law from the U.K., Ernesto is very much at home being a tattoo artist. Ernesto's foray into the world of tattoos started quite by accident. Spurred by the cultural awareness which sprung from his earlier experiments with tattoos, he decided to learn the traditional technique of tattooing from the elders in his Iban community. This was promptly succeeded by his initiative to learn the modern technique of tattooing using the machine.


Ever since his successful venture into the world of tattoos, Ernesto has been going places. He has appeared in numerous local and international magazines and television programmes. He was also chosen as the tattoo and design advisor for the New Line Cinema film production "Sleeping Dictionary", which starred Jessica Alba and Hugh Dancy.








In crafting his designs, Ernesto's derives inspiration from the works of world-renowned tattoo 'masters' such as:
  • Horioshi 3 (Japan) - Master of the Japanese Traditional Tattooing
  • Filip Leu (Switzerland) - Master of the Electric Machine Tattooing
  • Paulo Suluape (Samoa) - Master of the Traditional Samoan Tattooing
  • Leo Zulueta- (Michigan U.S.A) - Father of Neo Tribal or Modern Based Tribal Tattoo Designs
  • Roberto Hernandez (Spain) - Master of Portrait on Skin; and
  • Bit Schoenenberger (Switzerland) - International award winning tattoo artist and the organiser of the most prestigious tattoo convention in the world today, as quoted in "Tatouage Magazine" as "Les Crème De La Crème of Tattoo Conventions" (The Lausanne International Tattoo Convention).



These days, Ernesto has his hands full with his other passion: Music. He is the founder of Borneo Headhunters Music Production and is actively involved in producing albums for local singers. He successfully produced and managed Jerry Kamit's Album "Semampai Sayau... Flora" which won two honorable awards at the Iban Music Awards on the 27th of March 2004 for the Most Popular Song and Best Vocal.

Shows Attended
1. The 5th International Lausanne Tattoo Convention 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
2. Zurich International Tattoo Convention 2000 in Zurich, Switzerland.
3. Northern Ink Exposure 2000 in Toronto, Canada.
4. The 1st Tokyo Tattoo Convention 2000 in Tokyo, Japan.
5. The 1st International Firenze Tattoo Convention November 2000 in Florence, Italy.
6. Vienna International Tattoo Convention 2000 in Vienna, Austria.
7. The Middleburg Tattoo Convention Netherlands 2001.
8. Rainforest Music Festival 2001 in Sarawak, Malaysia.
9. The 1st State of the Art International Tattoo Convention 2001 in Derby, U.K.
10. Frankfurt Maine International Tattoo Convention 2001.
11. The Seventh Sky International Expo 2001 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
12. The 1st Annual Massachusetts Tattoo Festival 2001 in Boston, U.S.A.
13. The 6th Lausanne International Tattoo Convention 2001 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
14. Northern Ink Exposure 2002 in Toronto, Canada.
15. The 1st International Borneo Tattoo Convention May 2002 in Sarawak, Malaysia.
16. Tattoo The Earth Tour 2002 Chicago (2-4th August).
17. Tattoo The Earth Tour 2002 Oakland, California (9-11th August) in Oakland, California.
18. The 2nd State Of The Art International Tattoo Convention 2002 in Derby, England.
19. From The Heart Art Expo 2002 in Manchester, England.
20. 3rd State Of The Art International Tattoo Convention 13th-14th September 2003 in Derby, England.
21.

The 7th Lausanne International Tattoo Convention 1st-2nd November 2003 in Lausanne, Switzerland.



Artist's Bio- Robinson Unau

Born in a Iban longhouse to a family that inherates the highest level ofIban carving for the Gods, Balu Menyagu, the culture naturally absorvedinto butenhanced by the distance away from home when sent away to a full boardingschool across the sea at the age of twelve.The father and the grandfathers are the master carvers for the DeputyChief Minister of Sarawak, The Sarawak Museum and almost all the Ibanlonghouses during the Gawai Antu, the Ceremonial Festival for the Spirits.Graduated and practiced Architecture for two years before came back homefor good,realizing that he wanted something more fullfilling for the soul.Join and apprentice with Ernesto Kalum at Borneoheadhunters in 2006,learned and guided into the international tattoo world,theculture,historyand folklores of Iban community.Meeting and knowing important people inthe real tattoo world that influenced and inspired the tattoo world todaylikeLyle Tuttle,Henk Schiffmacher,Filip Leu,Loretta Leu,BitSchoenenberger,Paul Booth,Pote Seyler and many others.

Influence:
  • Filip Leu (Switzerland)- Master of Electric Machine Tattooing
  • Bit Schoenenberger (Switzerland) - The King Maker,the organiser of TheLausanne International Tattoo Convention
  • Ernesto Kalum (Sarawak,Malaysian Borneo) - The Master of IbanTraditional Tattooing
Shows Attended
1. Northern Ink Exposure, Toronto,Canada (2006,2007,2008)
2. Tattoo Art Fest ,Paris, France (2007)
3. The 2nd International Borneo Tattoo Convention, Sarawak,Malaysia(2007)
4. Evian Tattoo Show,Evian, France (2008,2009)
5. The Biggest Tattoo Show On Earth, Las Vegas, USA (2009).
6. Tattoo Freeze ,Telford,England (2010)