Thought-provoking exhibition explores tattoos

Studio portraits and documentary photography combine in Helen Mitchell’s exhibition Tattoo Aotearoa New Zealand, now on display at the Pah Homestead at TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre in Hillsborough, Auckland, until December 13. 

Featuring portraits shot throughout the country — Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Nelson — the images draw on personal narratives surrounding the tattoo renaissance seen within contemporary New Zealand society. The narratives are presented as audio elements alongside the portraits in the exhibition. 

Mitchell is researching this revival by looking at how tattoos factor into the construction of personal identity and cultural exchange and how they can help to form a documentation of personal experience. For more information, visit tsbbankwallaceartscentre.org.nz.