Got an obsession with skin? Turns out Strathmore shares your delight in the dermis with its upcoming exhibit, Skin, where the Mansion explores the art of body modification — from tattoos to temporary changes, like makeup, henna, or even bodypaint.
With Skin, Strathmore showcases artists’ “body of work,” exploring the transformative properties, cultural significance and artistry of body modification through tattoo, henna, bodypainting, hair and makeup. The exhibition features one of the world’s foremost tattoo artists, Alex Reinke, with fellow ink authorities Robby Latos and Paul Roe, as well as body painter Craig Tracy, and henna artist Bhavna Naik from Saturday, September 15 through Saturday, November 3, 2012. And it all kicks off with nosh and henna art sessions at an opening reception September 20th!
Some of the innovative ink, and other ideas, you should expect:
- Paul Roe of H Street’s Britishink recreates a modern tattoo parlor on one half of a Mansion room… and a tattoo parlor from 100 years ago on the other. He’ll show off his own talents with a series of five drawn process works, ending with a picture of a finished, large-scale tattoo of a peacock wrapping around a woman’s back.
- Juxtaposed with Roe will be classically-trained tattoo artist, Robby Latos (of The Damascus Tattoo Company) who started as a fine artist and painter before embarking on his career in ink. Six of Latos’ works will be on view, including a large tatted tableau of Albert Einstein that the artist did on himself.
- A video installation will feature an interview conducted by Strathmore’s curatorial team with preeminent tattoo artist Alex Reinke, an absolute purist trained in the style of Japanese irezumi by world renowned tattoo masterHoriyoshi III. The video reveals one of tattoo arts’ oldest styles, irezumi.
- The second floor’s Gudelsky Gallery Suite will explore temporary body modification. “Putting on his face” for Skin with stirring results, John Borstel plays with the concept of makeup as art/art as makeup in a series of photographs.
- Craig Tracy uses the body as a canvas for his fine art bodypainting, transforming a human form so that it virtually disappears into his work. Five photographs of the internationally renowned cult artist’s work will be on view, including “Speed” depicting a sprinting cheetah (painted horizontally on an elongated torso), and “Magic” in which a model’s face is covered in abstract applications of paint.
- Baltimore artist Glenford Nunez shares selections from The Coiffure Project, a collection of portraits celebrating the beauty of black women and their natural hair.
- Henna artist Bhavna Naik’s intricate ceremonial and bridal henna designs illustrate the significance of body art to different global cultures.
