Loads of ink

A bizarre exhibition is celebrating the art of the tattooist

By Alex Trelinski

Adrien Flament, saying: “A tattoo is still the expression of the relationship that an

Face To The Name

THE Cueva de Nerja has managed to virtually ‘resurrect’ Pepita’s skeleton.

This is the name given to the remains of a young woman found in 1982 in the Torca Room of the Cueva de Nerja during the archaeological excavations directed by Professor Manuel Pellicer.

Since then, ‘Pepita’ has become the most emblematic piece of the Nerja Museum, which belongs to the Cueva de Nerja Fondation. Now, the face of the ancient skel- individual maintains with his society.

“It is an expression of contemporary history that does not stop evolving,” Flament added.

This exhibition brings together more than 240 historical and contemporary works from different parts of the world including contributions from Japan and Polynesia to Thailand and Los Angeles.

FACING HISTORY: How Pepita would have looked eton, one of the best preserved of its time in Europe, has been rendered on computer to give an idea of what she looked like.

It documents tattoo artists and tattooed people both past and present to explore the development of the art form into one of global artistic expression. Displays include paintings, drawings, photographs, audio-visual displays and books, as well as objects such as tools, masks and stamps.

CaixaForum Valencia head, Alvaro Borras, commented that the tattoo has every right to be included as ‘part of the history of art’.