Tatoueurs, Tatoues

On view at the Musée du Quai Branly beginning May 6, Tatoueurs, tatoués (Tattooists, tattooed) returns to the sources of tattoo and presents the renewal of this phenomenon in its now permanent and globalised manifestation. In so-called "primitive" societies from Asia, Africa and Oceania, tattooing has a social, religious and mystical role and accompanies the subject in their rites of passage, including them in the community. Conversely, in the West, they have been seen as a mark of infamy, criminality, a circus attraction (with the phenomenon of side shows) and as a mark of identity for urban tribes.

View the exhibition's official website.

Wooden head with carved moko  -  Maori, New Zealand