Born and raised in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Italo Osorio, better known as HOLIE, is a Brazilian graffiti artist, muralist, and tattooist currently based in Tauranga, New Zealand.
With over 20 years of experience in graffiti and street art, Holie's artistic journey began on the streets of Brazil, surrounded by urban culture, hip-hop, skateboarding, and the underground art scene.
What started as a passion for graffiti quickly became a lifestyle. Through years of painting walls, developing lettering styles, experimenting with characters, colours, and compositions, Holie built his artistic identity through constant exploration and a hands-on approach to creativity.
His involvement in street culture went far beyond painting. Deeply connected to the downhill skateboarding scene, Holie also owned a graffiti shop in Brazil, becoming involved in the creative community and culture that helped shape his journey.
Over the years, his work has evolved across different surfaces and disciplines, from large-scale murals and commercial projects to custom-painted skateboards, surfboards, vehicles, and other unconventional canvases. His approach combines the raw energy and freedom of graffiti with a strong focus on technique, movement, detail, and composition.
Graffiti eventually opened another creative path: tattooing. With over 12 years of experience in the tattoo industry, Holie is now the founder of Afterlife Tattoo NZ, a tattoo studio based in Tauranga, New Zealand.
Despite expanding into different artistic fields, his connection to graffiti has never faded. Today, Holie continues to explore new techniques, collaborate with other creatives, and bring his street art background into murals, commissioned projects, and independent artwork.
For Holie, graffiti isn't just where it all started. It's a culture, a lifestyle, and the foundation of everything he creates.