Tattoo Honolulu

Featuring the work of

Joel Albanez • Tricia Allen • Bong • Mike Ledger • Keone Nunes • Lucky Olelo • Richie Lucero • Sado • Sua Suluape Toetuu, Aisea • Billy Whitney

Tattooing is art. After decades of being viewed as a mark of the marginal, tattoos have gone mainstream and are winning over the art establishment-including the Honolulu Museum of Art. The lines between ink on skin and paint on canvas or pencil on paper have been blurred with tattoo artists reaching the skill level of other artists. Now the Honolulu Museum of Art breaks new ground with an exhibition focusing on Hawai'i's high quality of tattoo art-and how it sprouted from the islands' mix of cultures rich with tattoo traditions.

The museum is in the unique position to draw upon its world-class collection to place contemporary tattooing within an art historical context. By linking the past-through works such as 19th-century prints by Jacques Arago depicting tattooed Hawaiians-with the present, the museum hopes to expand cultural awareness not only about the art of the tattoo, but also the rich cultural traditions it is based on.