Jan 12 – Apr 9, 2022
Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory
Curated by Dion Kaszas
Organized by the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
Body Language is about the reclamation of cultural tattooing in the Pacific Northwest. This exhibition takes an intimate look at historic and contemporary cultural tattooing from the perspectives of 5 Indigenous artists. Body Language explores designs on skin and their relationship to traditional clothing, rock art, jewelry, basketry and weaving to provide healing, protection and a sense of cultural knowledge and belonging
Image credit: Aaron Leon, The Body Language artists during planning meetings at Whistler, 2017.
Related Programming
Live Tattoo Demo and Artist Talk
with Audie Murray and Nicole Neidhardt
March 12 2022 | 12-4pm
UVic Legacy Art Gallery Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Click here to go to Facebook event with live stream link.
Join artists Nicole Neidhardt (Diné) and Audie Murray (Michif) for a live demonstration of cultural tattooing in person and online. Nicole will be demonstrating hand-poke tattooing in person at the Legacy Art Gallery Downtown while Audie demonstrates skin-stitch tattooing remotely. Opening prayer and artist talks begin at noon, with tattoo demonstrations to follow.
Artist Talk
Jan 13, 2022 | 7-8:30pm
Online via Zoom
Join us for a panel discussion among the artists Nahaan (Tlingit), Nakkita Trimble (Nisga’a) and Dion Kaszas (Nlaka’pamux) featured in Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest exhibition now on display at the Legacy Art Gallery.
Learn about cultural tattooing from an Indigenous perspective. Artists will cultural tattooing is connected to their respective cultures, personal identities’ and how they are reviving this practice in their communities.