July 28-August 3, 2005
mixpicks
 |
|
SKIN TRADE
The pierced-up kids on South Street do it. The leather-bound guys on Harleys do it. And last we checked, your mom did it. From the ornamental to the mystic to the mainstream, the age-old art of tattooing is more popular now than ever. Jersey's "Inked!" features 10 artists whose work — in printmaking, installation, literature or otherwise — has been informed and inspired by tattoo culture. Exhibitors include world-famous tattooist Don Ed Hardy, painter Amanda Church and writer Shelley Jackson, whose 2,095-word story, "Skin," is now permanently inked on the bodies of "carriers" she recruited via the Internet. Also not to be missed: the annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention, sponsored by Philadelphia Eddie's and Tattooed Kingpin. This year's agenda includes midget wresting, live bands, the Disgraceland Family Freakshow and more than 100 artists on hand to prick, prod and ink your most private parts. There's even a prize for the worst tattoo. Maybe something good will come of that dolphin on your ankle.
"Inked!," through Aug. 20, The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts, 20 Third Ave., Long Branch, N.J., 732-236-1121, www.sica.org. Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention, Fri.-Sun., July 29-31, $15 per day, $35 weekend pass, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch sts., 800-541-8239, www.tattooedkingpin.com.
-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there
