Tat tooOlli Bery Jason Fitzpatrick
Ellen Greene
Jason Dahlstrup Jensen
23 9 MarchTattoo to 22 April 2012 Olli Bery TattooJason Fitzpatrick Ellen Greene
Jason Dahlstrup Jensen
Curated by Nicole Sharp
Owens Art Gallery
Foreword 6
Acknowledgements 7
Tattoo 9
List of Works 17
The Artists 19 Foreword
In 1996 the Owens Art Gallery established an Internship Program, providing recent fine arts graduates with the opportunity to be mentored in all phases of gallery operation, including the organization of an exhibition on a subject of their choosing. Now in its 16th year, the Owens Internship is one of the oldest programs of its kind in Canada and the only one in the Atlantic region to offer critical support for young curators working in an instituional context. I want to acknowledge the important contribution made by this year’s Intern, Nicole Sharp, in the organization and planning of her exhibition Tattoo. Her extreme thoughtfulness and unique perspective on a complex and exciting subject have resulted in a beautiful and engaging exhibition. I also want to thank all of the artists for so generously agreeing to be part of this project. I would like to acknowledge the Owens Art Gallery staff who have all contributed to this exhibition and to the ongoing success of the internship Program in so many ways. Finally, we are grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts, and to Mount Allison University for its ongoing support of the Owens Art Gallery and all its programs.
Gemey Kelly Director
6 Acknowledgements
I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to the staff at the Owens Art Gallery: to Gemey Kelly, Lucy MacDonald, Roxie Ibbitson and Jane Tisdale for giving me the opportunity to curate this exhibition. It would not have been possible without their encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to final stages of this process. This has been a wonderful experience for which I am truly grateful. Thank you. I would like to acknowledge Robert Tombs for the design of this catalogue and Moorea Humm for providing the cover image. Many thanks to Olli Bery, Jason Fitzpatrick, Ellen Greene and Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen for making their work available for this exhibition. And finally, to my family and friends who supported me in various ways throughout the completion of this exhibition, thank you.
Nicole Sharp
7 Olli Bery Untitled, 2011 black and white photograph Tattoo
Mom, I’ve been thinking about maybe getting a tattoo. Well then, you can think about not coming home.
…This was more or less what I was expecting to hear when I brought up the idea of getting an image permanently ingrained in my skin. To be fair, my mother grew up in a time when tattoos were still very much considered in the western world to be marks of criminals, deviants and social outcasts. They were reserved for unifying biker gangs and identifying rebels. Within the last couple of decades our understanding of tattoos in contemporary culture has transformed to include a wider variety of functions and viewpoints. Today, tattoos operate as “diary entries and protective shields, conversation pieces and countercultural totems, valentines to lovers and memorials to the dead.”1 Now tattoos are, in fact, a multifunctional art form, occupying more contemporary visual culture than ever before through numerous media outlets including books, blogs, magazines and television shows.2 Tattoo culture’s recent merging with mainstream culture has affected both our understanding of tattoos as an art form and the tattoo industry itself. During his participation on a panel at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, tattoo artist Natan Alexander described the result of this newfound attention as somewhat double-sided. Although certain elements of the mystery that has surrounded tattoo culture are lost, he suggested the attention is also making tattoos accessible to a greater number of people.3 He stated, “Consequently, the artistic side of it has been elevated
9 because everyone is looking at each other’s work. […] People need to work harder now to excel as tattoo artists, you need to be a fine artist as well.”4 The evolution of tattoo culture has brought it into the realm of high art where it now functions not only as an important inspiration for artists but as an art form in itself. Each discipline requires the artist to communicate through a visual language.5 As a practice that relies so heavily on aesthetics and technical skill, in addition to contributing so greatly to our popular culture, tattooing seems to naturally earn recognition as a legitimate art form. In the same way that numerous galleries have paid serious curatorial attention to fashion, many galleries are now exhibiting shows centered around tattoos and tattoo culture as a means of narrative and personal expression, blurring the line between commercial tattoo practice and fine art. If the so-called ‘Art’ and ‘Tattoo’ worlds are merging, should artists, curators, and historians not be making attempts to archive and document this change in contemporary culture? Tattoos function as an accessible art form through which individuals can construct supposedly permanent reflections of personal interests and ideas. However, what happens when that permanence is undermined as the body begins to decompose? Do we let these artworks vanish? This exhibition examines tattoos as a seemingly permanent art form, when in reality tattoos maintain ephemeral characteristics due to the organic nature of the human body as a canvas or support. Tattoo explores the way in which various contemporary artists document or archive tattoos, and how they experiment with tattoo imagery and processes using archival materials and approaches.
Olli Bery Photography is currently one of the most accessible forms of documentation in our society. Whether it is with a point-and-shoot camera, or more professional-grade equipment, snapping photos of what we experience on a daily basis builds substantive collections of images reflective of meaningful experience in our personal lives (as well as the development of our society as a whole). We are constantly exposed to photographic images, be it on blogs or billboards, which have the potential to last as reminders of how our society changes and develops. The work of Olli Bery offers an extraordinary look into the world of the tattoo industry and culture through a series of black and white photographs. Through his lens, we can see the fine details of freshly inked tattoos, and the messy processes it takes to get there.
10 As a photojournalist, Bery has produced a vast collection of images that records the ever-changing world around him and presents these changes to us in an engaging and compelling manner. By capturing these moments, Bery preserves the integrity of the tattoo, leaving physical documentation of its existence to be referenced once the tattoo itself is gone.
Jason Fitzpatrick Jason Fitzpatrick is a sculptor, installation and performance artist whose practice is primarily process driven. The prints and video on display in this exhibit are documents from a performance entitled Bite and Burn (2006–2007), which took place at galleries in three separate regions of Canada (the Pacific Coast, the Great Lakes region, and the Atlantic Coast). During this performance, the artist, accompanied by a tattoo artist and printmaker, enters a specifically constructed space in each gallery for a tattoo session. The tattoo artists would complete one third of the tattoo in each location, while the printmaker would use Fitzpatrick’s freshly inked back as a surface from which to create monoprints. The prints pulled from the artist’s back during the performance display a compelling mixture of blood and ink, inevitably drawing attention to aspects of physical pain and endurance associated with the tattooing experience. This performance and its end product reflect a certain level of commitment and dedication one has to the materialization of an idea or notion on their body. Curator Christopher Brawshaw describes Fitzpatrick’s post-performance prints and constructed performance space as “Beuysian relics of the opening’s process-based performance: proof that his performance’s energy has not dissipated but changed.”6 These relics are multifunctional, acting as both documentation of this event and fascinating pieces of art. Through his work we can see that the line between art and artifact is being blurred, and that objects often function as both.
Ellen Greene Using a unique combination of supports and materials, Ellen Greene explores traditional tattoo imagery and its operations in both past and contemporary culture. Aware that tattoos have previously been identified as a predominately male form of rebellion, Greene explores tattoos and their relation to women of earlier decades through the presentation of delicately painted vintage gloves, an accessory traditionally worn by women of a certain social class. The artist states “[the gloves] represented a kind of formality that
11 Jason Fitzpatrick print, bite and burn, 2005–2009 ink and blood on BFK paper was all about control of sexual desires—after all, gloves were for modesty, they kept you from having a sensual contact with your hands—they somehow kept you ‘clean.’” 7 Although Greene’s gloves are not meant to be functional, the idea of exploring tattoo imagery on an article of clothing brings to mind the idea of hand-me-downs—tattoos you can slide onto your arms, and save or pass on to someone else once they have been outgrown. The shift from producing images on skin to a fabric support removes tattoos from a personal realm and objectifies them as a physical, tangible article capable of being mended, preserved and possessed. Furthermore, to consider the use of gloves as an accessory reflective of personal taste and preferences parallels the function of tattoos in contemporary culture.
Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen Through the precision of a tattoo needle and pencil, artist Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen explores tattoo imagery as an established visual language in which to work. By using a tattoo machine to puncture and shift the fibers of paper, Jensen creates embossed-like images that illustrate popular symbols throughout tattoo history. Roses, skulls and snakes are scarred into paper, leaving its surface permanently changed and embellished. Does the shift from skin to paper change our interpretations of what a tattoo can encompass? Is it necessary to apply this process strictly to skin in order to create a tattoo, or is it possible to maintain the essence of a tattoo on a more (theoretically) archival support? In addition to his tattooed paper works, Jensen creates detailed drawings depicting tattooed individuals. These works reference the history in art of documenting figures of importance and authority. Whether the figures depicted here are imagined or actual, an ornately modified body remains—glorifying a person who would previously be considered a middle or lower-class citizen. These drawings reflect not only a commitment to rendering tattooed figures, but also the development of tattoos from an underground art to a featured subject matter explored by contemporary artists. It is clear that tattoos have made a place in our society. They surround us on a daily basis with what seems to be an enduring presence. Does our constant exposure to tattoos require us to archive them? Or perhaps their transient nature enhances and romanticizes their appeal. Accomplished tattoo artist Scott Campbell states, “When you say the word ‘tattoo’ the first thing they think is ‘permanent.’ But actually tattooing is definitely the most ephemeral. […] Skin has a life of its own, which is what makes
13 Ellen Greene Miss America, 2011 acrylic and ink on vintage gloves Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen Roses Are Red (detail), 2011 paper hand-embossed with tattoo needle tattooing so magical. There is no resale value. There is no archival aspiration. It’s for the moment and in the moment.”8 Maybe tattoos have found a niche alongside art forms such as performance art, or earth art that thrive in the here-and-now. Perhaps the tattoo itself is just the bi-product of something larger, a materialization of an idea or sentiment. As an art form, tattoos are already evolving and expanding into new territories. Just last year, by incorporating QR code technology, the first ‘animated tattoo’ was made.9 It seems that the potential for this medium is endless, and artists are just getting started. With all these developments in motion, now seems as good a time as any to take a moment to step back and recognize the transformations this art form has already made.
Nicole Sharp
1 Margot Mifflin quoted by Nikki Sullivan in Tattooed Bodies. 2001. p. 2. 2 Popular television shows include New York Ink, Miami Ink, Ink Master, Tattoo Age, Tattooed in Detroit, etc. Recent documentary films include Skin by Ryan Hope. 3 Panel Discussion, “On Pins & Needles: Tattooing in Massachusetts” with Natan Alexander, Pedro Alonzo and Sarah Waunch. Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.
16 List of Works
Olli Bery Untitled 2011 black and white photograph 40 x 60 cm
Untitled 2011 black and white photograph 40 x 60 cm
Untitled 2011 photograph 40 x 60 cm
Untitled 2011 photograph 40 x 60 cm
Jason Fitzpatrick bite and burn 2005–2009 video print, bite and burn 2005–2009 ink and blood on BFK paper 66 x 28 cm
Ellen Greene Hold Tight Anyone 2011 ink on vintage gloves 33 x 45.75 cm
17 Omi Wise 2011 acrylic and ink on vintage gloves 31.75 x 43 cm
My Girl Homeward 2011 acrylic on vintage gloves 45.75 x 45.75 cm
Wish You Were Here 2011 acrylic and ink on vintage gloves 33 x 45.75 cm
Miss America 2011 acrylic and ink on vintage gloves 33 x 45.75 cm
Somebody, Anybody 2010 ink on vintage gloves 26.5 x 33 cm
Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen Christ! 2011 graphite on paper 76 x 62 cm
Vanitas 2011 paper hand-embossed with tattoo needle 76 x 62 cm
Roses Are Red 2011 paper hand-embossed with tattoo needle 82 x 70 cm
Skulls Are Grey 2011 paper hand-embossed with tattoo needle 82 x 70 cm
18 The Artists
Olli Bery Olli Bery is a freelance photographer who lives in Belgium. He has divided his time between socially-engaged photojournalism in Europe and in the United States, and work as an industrial reporter for the French media agency Cerise Noire. He has been a consultant in French television, and has collaborated with various national and European magazines. In October of 2009, he and his brother Philippe created “Un Oiseau dans la Mains-films et instants.” In 2011 his work was shown in London, Brussels and Arles (during the Off festival, photographic encounters in collaboration with Yann Linsart and The Viewer magazine). Currently he is working on the film Crusade, and is in close collaboration with two Belgian bands Amen Ra and Oathbreaker, for whom he has created a series of photographs, as well as a music video for the American label Deathwish. www.olli-bery.com
Jason Fitzpatrick In 1993 Jason Fitzpatrick received a BFA (Sculpture Studio) from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He received his MFA from the University of Windsor in 2004. Fitzpatrick’s projects can be seen across Canada in artist-run centers, public galleries and private spaces and in institutions in North America and Europe. Fitzpatrick lives and works in downtown Vancouver and is an active participant in artist-run culture. www.jasonfitzpatrick.ca
Ellen Greene After receiving her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, Ellen Greene relocated to Chicago where she now runs her art studio. Her work has since been exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout the Midwest and elsewhere in the United States. www.artbyellengreene.com
19 Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. He received a BA, Fine Art, from the Glasgow School of Art in 2010. Jensen engages physically in the process of mark making which has led him to develop a technique of hand-embossing paper with a tattoo needle. By the merging of material and context he seeks to communicate through the visual language of nautical folklore and traditional tattooing. www.jacobdahlstrup.com
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Owens Art Gallery, 2012
Owens Art Gallery Mount Allison University 61 York Street Sackville, New Brunswick Canada, E4L 1E1 www.mta.ca/owens
ISBN: 0-88828-218-4
Design by Robert Tombs Printed by the Lowe-Martin Group Cover Image © Moorea Hum 23 22
Owens Art Gallery