iNKED!

"Inked" is the term used within the tattoo subculture for the process of being tattooed, the painful indelible marking of skin for sundry purposes ranging from the decorative to the mystic. Its Western history may still be associated with a lawless and underground element, but tattoos have become relatively commonplace, mitigating their owners' brazen intentions of expounding personal identity and independence. Characterized by bold lines, flat colors and shading, tattoo designs have been co-opted into the mainstream.

The exhibition's collection of works range from world renowned tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy's printmaking and paintings rooted in tattoo design with works illustrating icons of tattoo history, to Amanda Church's painted figures resembling foreshortened and truncated bodies with incipherable psychedelicized text. In between are male and female artists from the U.S. , Mexico and Japan who have explored the issues through sculptural forms, as well as two-dimensional work. With its wide embrace of styles, concepts, scales, and mediums the intention of Inked! is to provoke a dialogue on how this pervasive underground subculture has infiltrated the everyday and influenced artistic production in surprising, inventive, and remarkable ways.

Koan Jeff Baysa, curator of Inked!, is a practicing physician, independent curator, writer and alumnus of the Whitney ISP. Baysa has curated several critically acclaimed exhibitions throughout the country and internationally.

ANNA TSUBAKI