Hong Kong Ink - Tattoo Culture and Identity
By Helen Mitchell
This photographic survey charts how tattooing in Hong Kong has shifted from subculture to popular culture. The project
examines how tattoo functions as an agent of cultural exchange and reflects the tattoo renaissance currently occurring
in the Asia-Pacific region. After an initial photographic survey of Hong Kong tattooists in 2010, Mitchell returned to
Hong Kong in 2015 to explore the expanded field of tattoo acquisition in an increasingly diverse client base that new
tattoo parlours have established over the last five years. Mitchell showcases a range of talent and the styles of
tattooists through a series of portraits that include tattoo clients from some of the best tattooists in the region
along with stories from their subjects.
Helen Mitchell is a Wellington based photographic artist and academic. Mitchell has a decade long engagement with
photographing and documenting tattoo stemming from research into tattoo acquisition for her Masters of Fine Arts degree.
This initial investigation resulted in a number of photographic exhibitions including Show Me Your Tattoo, Shifting Identity: The Evolution of a New Tattoo Culture, and Tattoo Collectors.
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From 2nd June to 17th June.
Opening 4pm Sunday 31st May.
Northart Gallery,
Norman King Square,
Ernie Mays Street,
Northcote Shopping Centre,
Auckland.
ENDS