June 14, 2012 to January 13, 2012 the Honolulu Academy of Arts is hosting an exhibition called Tattoo Honolulu.
Tattoo Honolulu is displaying the works of 10 master Hawaii tattoo artists: Joel Albanez , Tricia Allen, Bong, Mike Ledger, Keone Nunes, Lucky Olelo, Richie Lucero, Sado Sua Suluape Toetuu, Aisea, and Billy Whitney. The artists featured are well known in Hawaii and have decades of experience.
“Most artists believe that the basis of great art is drawing,” says Jost. “And tattoo artists in Hawai‘i are incredible draftsmen. They use this skill to create extraordinary tattoos. Add to that Polynesian, Asian, and military cultures, and the result is that Honolulu is now recognized as one of the world’s tattoo meccas. We are getting this recognition because the artists are great. It is a topic so vast, with so many cultural influences, that the entire museum curatorial staff is working as one team to create this exhibition.” (quote from Honolulu Museum of Art).
My sister Megan is featured in the exhibit and also her photo is displayed on the outside wall of the Honolulu Museum of Art! Her back piece was done in 2009-2010 by Billy Whitney of 808 Tattoo. I got to check out the exhibit the other night at Art After Dark. The tattoo exhibit features Hawaiian, American, Japanese, and Polynesian cultures.
For all the tattoo enthusiasts out there, this exhibit is worth checking out! Check out photos of my favorite tattoos…
Tags: Event
