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59

In the New York Historical Society exhibition,

Tattooed New York, the deep roots of body art

and tattoo culture in New York have been traced

back three centuries. The Native American

Haudenosaunee nation (Iroquois), from what is

now known as the state of New York, were among

the first documented communities with a well

established practice of the art form. The exhibition

opens with Colonial era anthropological texts,

handwritten notes, and drawings dating back to

the 1700s. European settlers created the documents

in an attempt to describe and visualize the healing

powers, spiritual meaning, life event, and identity

marking characteristics of the practice.

The pure artistry of the art form in the 21st

century is captured in six large-scale Vibrachrome

photographs printed by Duggal Visual Solutions.

Hardy Rosenstein of Duggal worked closely with

Marcela Gonzalez of the New York Historical

Society to produce the stunning, frameless

images which present bodies as canvases against

black backdrops. The backs of human figures

photographed from the knees, hips, or waist up,

reveal full back tattoos that in some cases extend

into full sleeve tattoos, down to mid-thigh, or

gracefully crest over the lower back.

The timeless magic of body art and tattoos, presented

in Tattooed New York, is quite astonishing, and

appears to be a truly global art form that continues

to grow, evolve and never lose its charm.

NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

NEW YORK

TATTOOED