The tattoo, more than a form of body modification, is an art more than 5,000 years old. An ancient expression of individuality, a symbol of beauty and a rite that goes from the first Polynesian tattoos to the Japanese yakuza, through hipster fashion. All this and more is what you collect the exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris that can be seen in Madrid until mid-April under the name: Tattoo. Art under the skin.
The term tattoo comes from the Polynesian word “tatu”, which means “open wound” and dates back to the 18th century. Although it is, long before, that the practice of tattooing began to be transmitted between cultures and societies until it became the global phenomenon that it is today.
In this way, the tattoo plays a multiple social role that gives rise to a wide variety of representations, either as an ancestral and identity practice or as an object of fascination and contemporary artistic creation.
For ink lovers or the curious, the exhibition brings together more than 240 historical and contemporary works, which includes the work of tattoo artists from countries such as Japan, the United States, France, Switzerland and Polynesia.
Thus, the exhibition goes back to the origins of the tattoo and analyzes the resurgence of this phenomenon, which is now permanent and global. Through an anthropological, geographical and artistic approach, explores its different uses and functions in different times and cultures.
As a peculiarity, they present twenty silicone models tattooed by masters of this art, as well as another twenty tattoo projects painted on kakemonos (an object that hangs on the wall, usually a painting or calligraphy).
In addition to the history of tattooing and its anthropological roots, the exhibition highlights the figure of the artist, international exchanges between tattoo artists and the appearance of syncretic styles (that is, coming from the hybridization or amalgamation of two or more cultural traditions).
Tattoo. Art under the skin can be visited at the Caixabank space in Madrid until April 17. Admission is priced at 6 euros but it is free for clients of the financial institution and those under 16 years of age. Visiting hours are from Monday to Sunday from 10 in the morning to 8 in the afternoonand.
Photos | caixabank