Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts poster for "Tattoo – Mark of the Body"
Entrance to "Tattoo – Mark of the Body"
Exhibition space at "Tattoo – Mark of the Body"
Ho Ching-Tai, Taiwan, Urban Underclass - Native Born, 1990, Art paper
Marc Garanger, Portrait of an Algerian Woman, 1960, Single-channel video print
Cedric Arnold g-Bangkok Thailand 2008-11 d-Hu Ge Bangkok Thailand 2008-11 Digital plate print, printed on cotton paper
Isabel Muñoz, Spain, 2006, Platinum paper
Diao Bao-Chen Kuan-Hsiung, Tattoo work - Tattoo model and tattoo artist Wu's back tattoo - Prajna, Taiwan, 21st century
Eric Schwartz, Tattoo Nation, Single-channel video, 4min 11s
Eric Schwartz, Tattoo Nation, Single-channel video, 4min 11s
Gao Yuan, Untitled Woman, 2011
Irina Ionesco, Japan, 1996, black-and-white gelatin silver print
Masato Sudo, Japan, 1980-84, authorized reproduction print only for this exhibition
Tin-Tin, Tattoo patterns preceding the female body, France, 2013, Silicone model, Ink

Text / Chen Chi-Hsiang Location: Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts Time: September 28, 2019 to February 9, 2020 Starting from the end of last year, Taiwan art exhibitions have opened a door to special exhibitions combining art and humanities, specifically the format of world cultural relics combined with contemporary art.

Both thematic exhibitions are in southern Taiwan and are led and cooperated by the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac. The Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac is one of France's four major museums. This most novel and modern museum is dedicated to non-Western civilizations (Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania), featuring a rich and abundant collection of classic works.

Through this museum, former President Chirak conveyed messages of peace, respect for others, and coexistence to the French people and the world, opening a new era of equality and openness for today's globalized civilization. Adhering to the principle that "culture has only differences, no superiority or inferiority," it demonstrates respect and inclusiveness in curatorial projects of different themes, fully embodying the spirit of equal exchange in contemporary culture.

In 2014, I visited the first exhibition "Tattoo – Mark of the Body" at the Musée du quai Branly and was deeply impressed by tattoo art. Unexpectedly, at the end of last year, I was invited by my friend Su Zhenhui to attend the celebration of Nan Hong's 40th anniversary at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. Accompanying Chairman Su, I visited the exhibition he sponsored. Seeing that the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts exhibition included a Taiwan zone, exploring the patterns of ancient ink culture in indigenous tribes and the expressions of local tattoo artists and artists' works, it held particular significance.

The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts' Between Millimeters "Tattoo – Mark of the Body" explores the world of tattoos as marks of human civilization on the deepest surface layer of the body. From the long-standing customs and history of humanity to today's fascinating popular tattoo art, it cross-disciplinarily displays the unique aesthetics and social implications of "the body" concerning identity and art. It is divided into five sub-themes: From Global to Marginal, Transforming Art, Rebirth: The Revival of Traditional Tattoos, A New World Map, and Today's Tattoos.