Shaped by centuries of controversy, the Japanese tattoo embodies the forbidden and the dissonant. Simultaneously representing both belonging and non-conformity, they are complicated cultural symbols. The Ronin Gallery's exhibition TABOO: UKIYO-E AND THE JAPANESE TATTOO explores the verboten world of irezume (japanese tattoo) across history and medium. The work of ukiyo-e masters Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi, Kunisada and Kunichika celebrates the world of tattoo duing the Edo and Meiji periods, while the original paintings and drawings of the acclaimed master of tebori and tattoo art, Horiyoshi III, offers a current interprestation of the centiuries-old tradition. The contemporary art photography of Masato Sudo continues the conversation, while the mixed-media work of American artist Daniel Kelly speaks to the universally inpirational power of the Japanese tattoo.
