Xav moved from New Zealand to Perth straight after high school and walked directly into the tattoo industry. He'd been drawing his whole life — art all through school, a natural eye for form and composition — so the transition made sense. He's been tattooing since early 2013 and the work has only gotten more considered since.

His style is Neo-Japanese, but shaped by something deeper than the aesthetic alone. A knowledge of Tā Moko and the storytelling traditions of Te Ao Māori inform how he thinks about composition, body flow, and meaning. The anime he grew up watching is in there too — the movement, the scale, the overpowered energy of a fight scene frozen in ink. He borrowed it freely and built something genuinely his own.

Jeff Gogue was an early influence, showing him that traditional Japanese could be approached from a different angle. Later, Sydney-based artist Quang — known as Quangsta — pushed things further with a black and grey perspective on Neo-Japanese that changed how Xav saw the style entirely. Quang passed away in 2022. The influence remains.

His work has evolved most significantly in terms of layout and scale — understanding what reads on skin, what's noise, and how to use space on large pieces. The subject matter has stayed consistent. What he brings to a session is harder to put on paper: comedy, warmth, and a thoughtful ear.

He's tall. He's brown. Nobody expects the brown thunder from down under.