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Wood Skin Ink
Friday through Sept. 25
July 28, 2005
[ART] Wood Skin Ink: The Japanese Aesthetic in Modern Tattooing is not your typical high society art exhibit. Nor is it anything at all like a tattoo convention. It is, however, an impressive gathering of leading contemporary tattoo artists—Don Ed Hardy, Takahiro Kitamura and Chris Trevino from America, as well as Yoshihito Nakano, Horiyoshi III and Horitomo from Japan—with Ukiyo-e experts, woodblock print masters and historians in a two-day conference and two-month long exhibition.
The Maui event has also attracted the eyes of the international art world in the current August issue of Juxtapoz, an alternative and underground art magazine founded by Robert Williams. "Stars, banners, and anchors may be forever ingrained in the American psyche as the template for modern tattooing, but Wood Skin Ink offers a fresh perspective on an ancient countercultural practice, seeking to educate the public about the history of Japanese tattooing as informed by Edo period Ukiyo-e prints."
The conference runs from Friday night through Sunday evening (check www.huinoeau.com for details). And on Saturday, there's an all-access, conference-related Skin Art Show and tattoo exhibition at Casanova in Makawao. The show starts at 9:45 p.m. and features Vince Esquire & Band, along with MC Kathy Collins of Mana'o Radio. There'll be prizes for the tattoo expo, including best back piece, small tattoo, tribal, traditional Polynesian, Japanese and more. $10 cover.
Wood Skin Ink will be on display Monday through September 25 at Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, 2841 Baldwin Ave., Makawao. For info, visit www.huinoeau.com or call 572-6560. [SAMANTHA CAMPOS]
IMAGE:Don Ed Hardy, "Eye on the Prize," Woodcut.