Wednesday 7 February, 6.00 – 7.00pm
Art historian and guest-curator Matt Lodder will expand on the ideas and influences at play in ‘Skin Digging’, his exhibition on show at Art Exchange.
This exhibition focuses on the work of Jessie Knight (1904-1992), the first prominent female tattoo artist working in Britain. ‘Skin Digging’ presents Knight as an artist not just on skin but also on paper, where both her quick preparatory sketches and finished designs speak of the energy, skill and excitement of the little understood folk art of tattooing. Using her work as a starting point, Matt Lodder sites Knight’s work in the wider context of the history of tattooing.
Dr Matt Lodder is a lecturer in contemporary art and Director of American Studies at the University of Essex. His research primarily concerns the application of art-historical methods to history of Western tattooing from the 17th century to the present day, with a principal focus on the professional era from the 1880s onwards. His major exhibition, ‘British Tattoo Art Revealed’ at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, begins its tour of the UK in March 2018.
Please join us for a fascinating evening of conversation and debate, followed by refreshments.
Admission Free
