The tattoo is on display in Milan

It traces the history of tattooing in the Mediterranean area from the first prehistoric evidence to contemporary artistic interpretations. It’s the exhibition ‘Tattoo. Stories from the Mediterranean’ which, through historical finds, instruments, sound materials, video installations, engravings and texts, provides for the first time a complete look at ‘epidermal drawing’, intertwining anthropology, sociology, mythology, science and art. Curated by Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone And Guido Guerzoni with the collaboration of Jurate Francesca Piacentithe exhibition is enhanced by a multimedia scenographic display created by the planning and design studio Dotdotdot. Promoted by the municipality of Milan the review is produced by 24Ore Culture.

Over the millennia, indelible marks on the skin have taken on various forms, meanings and functions. In ancient times people got tattoos to declare their rank, express their faith or celebrate rites of passage. In other cases the small drawings could have served as an indelible mark of infamy for slaves and deserters. In modern times micro-pigmentation has taken on a stratification of various meanings that constantly transform over time.

From Otzithe oldest tattooed man found in a mummified state, ai metropolitan tattoo studios, the exhibition itinerary showcases rich documentation from various institutions and museum collections. The first section documents the first traces of natural pigment found in the Lascaux caves and then continues with the mummy of the dermo-pigmented woman of Deir El Medina. In an apsidal room with a scenic backdrop, the chronological story continues with the indelible signs of the trade guilds widespread among medieval artisans who interacted with those linked to religious devotion, created secretly because they were prohibited by the Church. The third section is dedicated to the origins of modern skin decorations with a multimedia installation that recounts overseas navigations. Explorers like James Cook they discovered the tattoos of the natives which inspired the fashion for indelible ornamentation among the aristocrats of the time. The next section presents the studies of criminal anthropologists Cesare Lombroso And Alexandre Lacassagne which, at the beginning of the 20th century, contributed to associating tattooing with prisoners, giving rise to prejudice against a practice considered primitive. Precisely because it is considered unworthy of civilized man, the practice of tattooing progressively establishes itself within specific subcultures until its recent global mass success. In the fifth section the theme of indelible drawings is addressed as an ‘apotropaic’ and social element through a gallery of faces, hands and bodies of modern women. Finally, the sixth section offers the experience of cross the threshold of a modern tattoo studio introducing the public to the multifaceted reality of contemporary tattooing.