A free exhibition looking at the spectacular art form of Polynesian body tattoos has today opened at Cambridge University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
 

The tattoo traditions of Samoa have been captured in a stunning series of photographs by Mark Adams, one of New Zealand’s leading photographers.

Tatau: Samoan Tattooing/Global Culture runs until September 25 showcases the work of Paulo Sulu’ape, the pre-eminent figure in modern Samoan tattooing and the person responsible for taking the art form beyond Samoa’s shores.

Professor Nicholas Thomas, Director of the Museum, said: “This exhibition is a revelation. For centuries people across the Pacific have decorated their bodies with dynamic tattoo designs. Tatau not only flourished among Samoan migrants to New Zealand, it became famous among the international tattoo community. This exhibition tracks tatau from Samoan homes in New Zealand in New Zealand to Amsterdam and beyond.

“The Tatau exhibition draws attention to surprising cross-currents in the globalisation of culture and confronts photography with its own history of voyeurism.”

To mark the opening of the exhibition a symposium featuring a conversation between Mark Adams, tattooist Michel Thieme and Nicholas Thomas took place on June 17.
 

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