Samoan Tattoos at MOA with photos by Mark Adams

Tatau: Samoan Tattooing and Global Culture at the MOA in Vancouver, BC

I was at the newly renovated UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA) today at the University of British Columbia. The temporary exhibit on display is Tatau: Samoan Tattooing and Global Culture.

Tattooing is the traditional rite of passage for males in Samoan culture. Tatau is more of a contemporary response to the Samoan diaspora in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

The exhibit is a series of 40 photographs by New Zealand artist Mark Adams, who is an insider with many tufuga tatau (tattoo artists). The images are warm, captivating and stir up many smiles. Or is that winces, as you see a man getting tattooed on his bedroom floor?

Says the curator Peter Brunt, “Tatau is one artist’s intimate dialogue with the rich archive of imagery that has been produced since Europeans and Pacific peoples first encountered each other. It is a subtle commentary on the history of ethnographic portraiture and the ethics of cross-cultural representation.”

Tatau: Samoan Tattooing and Global Culture at the MOA in Vancouver, BC

Although the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) still has three major galleries and a few other spaces to re-open after extensive renovations, this exhibit is worth making the trip to UBC for. The photos are gorgeous: I only wish there was more information about the traditions and history of tattooing in Samoan culture.

A neat upcoming event at MOA is Tatau: The Art and History of Samoan Tattoos. This is a public workshop with Rosanna Raymond on Saturday April 25, 2009 from 10:00am – 1:00 pm. Cost is $10 CAD per person.

Museum of Anthropology
6393 N.W. Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC
Phone: (604) 822-5087

Tags: Mark adams, moa, Museum of Anthropology, Samoan tattoos, Tatau, Traditional samoan tattoos, Ubc, University of British Columbia