Things to see at the Natural History Museum: dinosaurs, gemstones and, starting this weekend, a pop-up tattoo parlor.
“Tattoo,” a traveling exhibition about the history and culture of indelibly-inked body art, arrives at the historic L.A. museum on Sunday with 5,000 years’ worth of tools and designs.
Through videos, archival photos, flash sheets and tools both antique and contemporary, the exhibition explores the diverse methods, rituals and contexts of tattooing, from Russian prisoners to a Filipino centenarian. In order to show the artistry of tattoos on their proper canvas, the exhibition features incredibly convincing looking silicone arms, legs and torsos that artists from around the world have inked.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Of course, tattoos would just be pretty pictures without a chair and a needle, so the museum is hosting an on-site tattoo parlor within the exhibition. Each weekend, a different artist will take up residency in the pretty convincing-looking parlor and offer visitors a chance to get inked. Though reservations are currently booked through January, appointments for February through April will become available early next year. A 90-minute slot costs $250.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
“Tattoo” was mounted by the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac in Paris, and in its transition to Los Angeles, the Natural History Museum has added its own local contribution. The museum has pulled 25 objects from its own collection as well as 55 from local artists.
The entire back portion of the exhibition is dedicated to tattoo culture in Southern California, with an additional silicone arm design from Kari Barba, the owner of Outer Limits Tattoo and Museum in Long Beach, as well as videos about the concentration of tattoo parlors on the former Long Beach Pike as well as the Chicano roots of black-and-gray style tattoos.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
You can visit “Tattoo” from November 19 to April 15, 2018. Admission to the specially ticketed exhibition costs $24 and includes access to the rest of the museum. Just a heads up that the exhibition does include some nudity—and needles.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Photograph: Michael Juliano