I was pleased to work as a primary curatorial advisor for TATTOO at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (November 19, 2017-April 15, 2018). This traveling exhibition has made several stops along the way (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; Field Museum, Chicago) since it debuted in Paris at the Museé du Quai Branly in 2014. 5,000 years in the making, TATTOO spans cultures, continents, and has evolved over time. Here, you will learn about both ancient and modern tattoo practices and you’ll explore the history, technique, motivation, and sheer artistic genius that are connected to this ancient art form of the skin.
The exhibition has garnered lots of media attention, including this article in the LA Weekly about tattoos and the Armenian Genocide. For an exhibition overview, this PDF from The Naturalist magazine provides details.
To learn more about TATTOO public programming and schedule of events, please visit this link.
To visit the exhibition homepage, please visit this link.
To view a gallery of the exhibition, please click on the slideshow below.