Art for the Human Canvas
Historical and Contemporary Canadian and International Tattoo
June 6 – 29, 2003
Opening Reception: Wednesday, June 11, from 7 to 10 p.m.
Many of the artists will be in attendance.
Alex Adams Dan Allaston Mike Austin Bill Baker Paul Booth Scott Bramble Carl Carscellen Dave Cummings Clint Danroth Chris David Dax Bill DeMichele Matt Ellis Bill Funk
Lanny Glover Danny Gordy Rob Hope Jet Filip Leu Titine Leu Makoto Scott McEwan Andres Merrill Steve Moore Kazuo Oguri The Dutchman Troy Timpel Sean Treble
Lyle Tuttle Kurt Wiscombe Leo Zulueta
Curated by Damian McGrath
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art and Northern Ink Xposure are popping out of our skins with the excitement of presenting Art for the Human Canvas, in conjunction with the 2003 Toronto Tattoo Convention.
This fascinating exhibition features artwork by leading tattoo artists from Canada and around the world. With this exhibition it is MOCCA’s intention to celebrate the unique achievements of these talented artists and to challenge some of the boundaries and conventional notions of contemporary visual expression.
The history of tattoo art is, of course, a long, rich and diverse tradition that has spanned geography and time. As with other artistic mediums and cultural developments, the vocabulary continually evolves, reflecting the depth and potential of body marking and of the contemporary imagination. In recent years tattooing has emerged to the forefront of popular consciousness. With this in mind it is also the purpose of this exhibition to expose and educate audiences to the art and practice of tattoo.
The exhibition contains tattoo “flash”, tattoo-inspired artwork by tattoo artists, documentary photography and an historical component. Styles range from the traditional and vernacular to the sacred and innovative. The artists and artwork for the exhibition have been judiciously selected by Damian McGrath.
And, if any of the imagery in this exhibition strikes your fancy in a, shall we say, “permanent kind of way”, MOCCA will happy to arrange for your body to fulfill its destiny as a human canvas!
The exhibition Art for the Human Canvas, and an accompanying 32-page booklet are supported in part by Amsterdam Brewing Co. Ltd. and the Bovine Sex Club.
