Cultural tastes are rapidly changing in regard to tattoos: What was once considered a renegade practice is now fashionable and profitable. An estimated one in eight Americans has at least one tattoo, while a remarkable 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 are “inked.”

Asheville, always ahead of the cultural curve, is a walking gallery of body art, reflecting the current fascination with the art of tattooing. The Asheville Art Museum seeks to recognize and celebrate this exciting aspect of our community with an exhibition that considers tattooing as a vital and viable art form with examples stretching from the historical and international to local and contemporary.

"Under the Skin" will comprise a diverse selection of historical images and objects from such diverse cultural sources as Japan, New Zealand, Native America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Motifs and developments in American tattoo design since the 1930s are seen in the work of the most esteemed tattoo artists of the last 75 years, including Thom deVita, Kandi Everett, Don Ed Hardy, Scott Harrison, Mike Malone, Jill Jordan and Paul Rogers. Contemporary artists whose work incorporates tattoo imagery or who consider tattooing as a cultural phenomenon are also featured, including Alix Lambert, Nan Goldin, Kay Rosen, Thomas Woodruff and Sherri Wood. The work of Western North Carolina tattoo artists and an Asheville tattoo photo album will be included as part of the exhibition and associated public programs.

ARTISTS:

A selection of tattoo artists who have made vital contributions to the field will be represented in depth through flash, drawings on tissue paper, and photographs of both finished and in-process tattoos.

Don Ed Hardy (1945 - ) is arguably the 20th century’s most influential tattoo artist, particularly for his mastery and incorporation of traditional Japanese techniques and imagery into the American tattoo lexicon. Under the Skin includes classic Hardy flash, photographs and drawings, as well as a selection of prints and paintings in which he fuses tattoo and fine art practices.

A native of Western North Carolina, Paul Rogers (1905 - 1990) is often considered the father of modern tattooing. Rogers is represented in the exhibition by vintage flash, examples of his innovative tattoo machines and by photographs that document his life as an itinerant tattoo artist and circus performer.

Subsequent generations of tattoo artists have honored, refined and reinterpreted classic symbols and motifs such as dragons, geishas, hearts and flowers, or added their own images to the tattoo lexicon. Among this group are Scott Harrison, Joseph Ari Aloi (Also known as JK5) and Jay Chastain and Danny Reed of Asheville.

The exhibition also represents a number of contemporary artists who create art in a wide range of media and look to tattoo imagery and culture for inspiration. These artists are working in film, painting, drawing, sculpture and photography. They are responding to a range of issues and ideas in the world of tattoos, including cultural status and self-identification, ornamentation and adornment, and the tattooed body as a carrier of symbolic content or meaning.

North Carolina Artist Sherri Wood’s Tattoo Baby Doll Project, for example, is a collaboration between her and female tattoo artists from across the country that combines embroidery and tattoo as a vehicle to explore the images and roles that define and empower women today. With this project, Wood seeks to break down barriers and prejudices about women’s work and roles, tattoo subculture, craft and art.

And Artist Alix Lambert delves into the culture of tattoos among Russian prisoners in her film The Mark of Cain, a feature-length documentary in which Lambert interviews prisoners who talk about their life experiences, body art and living conditions.

A GLOBAL FOCUS:

A closer look at the tattooing practices of international and Native American sources reveals the wide variety of cultural meanings behind the tattoo. Under the Skin explores these cultural definitions and how these definitions have changed over time with a close study of Maori, Samoan, Hawaiian, Japanese, African and Marquesan Island tattoos.

The indigenous Maori of New Zealand call their tattoos moko. Originally applied with bone chisels, they are one of the few examples of Maori visual culture to persist from pre-European times. For men, moko were connected to high social status and, especially in post-European times, as marks of identity. For women, the chin moko has been a visible embodiment of Maori culture and of Maori separateness from European culture.

In contrast to the Maori moko, Japanese tattoos were originally meted out as punishment to criminals. By the Edo Period (1600 - 1868), the practice of tattooing had spread and flourished among those considered to be on the periphery of society. Actors in the Kabuki theatre were known for their full-body tattoos, for example. Since tattoo was considered to be inappropriate for members of “decent” society and since no distinction was made between modest and full-body tattoo, there was no reason to limit oneself to a discreet design.

In some Native American and Pacific Rim cultures, tattoos identified brave warriors and their battleground prowess, chiefs and other high-ranking society members. It has also been noted that in more tropical climates, the artistry of full-body or large tattoos flourished in lieu of clothing.

Tattoos from these historical cultures live on today, as their meanings are discovered and celebrated by tattoo artists and wearers around the globe.

(Images provided by Asheville Art Museum.)

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