Joel Albanez has been creating for 28 years. I come from a family of artists, thinkers, teachers and builders. My family has been a heavy influence on my upbringing. My father always pushed me to persevere through art , and I haven’t stopped doing it since. I always felt like I needed to do something I loved for a living.

I grew up in the islands of the Phillipines. I was surrounded and inspired by a lot of what I saw, naturally culturally and artistictly. In some sense I am still journeying through life trying to make it home. What makes me feel at home is doing my art and excercising this vision. I feel like this has always been my mission, to be able to express my full potential through any medium. Open to different avenues of creation.

A piece of my life was spent in L.A. and San Jose California, where I found more likeminded souls to nurture my art and my direction. I spent most of my time doing Graph, which later led me to a more meaningful and powerful medium.

I learned to tattoo in Honolulu Hawaii around 2002. Where this Neo Tribal literally emerged. New tribal was a small shop responsible for birthing this new wave of Malayo Polynesian style, blended with a little Newskool and intirgrated with a little Japanese style. Mixing cultures, meanings and forces all the while keeping the old traditions present in the approach of tattooing. Its all movement and flow.

I have tremendous respect for the artists who have shared and sharpened my knowings about this art form. I was given an opportunity to learn about Tatau and its origins, its course through time, its lineage and its importance of its meanings and symbolism. Im fortunate to be able travel and pay respect to where a lot of these patterns come from. To truly absorb these cultures and share of my own. I find myself reconnecting with my roots and retracing my steps. Always reminded of this long journey we all take through this lifetime.

I strive to live inspired and determined to see as much of the world through my works.