For 1000’s of years, folks throughout cultures have practiced tattooing – and right now, Sweden ranks among the many most tattooed international locations on the earth. The brand new exhibition Tattoo – Tales in Ink from the Mediterranean on the Museum of Mediterranean and Close to Japanese Antiquities explores the lengthy and various historical past of tattooing. The exhibition traces the journey of ink from historical ritual to up to date fashion. Tattoo opens on Friday, June 13, 2025.
Adorning your physique with ink will not be a brand new phenomenon – tattoos have been current within the Mediterranean area since antiquity. Ötzi the Iceman – who lived over 5,000 years in the past – is among the earliest identified people with tattoos, bearing 61 markings. Tattooed mummies from historical Egypt have additionally been found. In Jerusalem, Christian pilgrims acquired themselves tattooed, and right here you can too discover the world’s oldest tattoo studio.
Tattoo was initially curated in Milan, Italy, and for the exhibition in Stockholm the Swedish Nationwide Museums of World Cultures will likely be exhibiting extra artefacts from the collections.
The exhibition explores how the which means of tattoos has advanced throughout the Mediterranean area. All through historical past, tattoos have been used for cover, identification, magnificence, religion, or to mark life’s transitions. Others have been forcibly tattooed, bearing everlasting, stigmatizing marks as punishment or oppression.
The traditional artefacts will likely be displayed alongside up to date images showcasing tattoo traditions from completely different cultures across the Mediterranean. A brand new picture collection options folks in Sweden with tattoos that join to private tales, locations, and cultures from the Mediterranean area.
– When folks right now select to hold the tattoos of their ancestors, in addition they carry their tales, says Rani Kasapi, Head of Content material & Studying on the Nationwide Museums of World Tradition. Tattoos may be highly effective expressions of identification, belonging, and reminiscence. By way of these bodily symbols, we achieve new views on historical past, and the exhibition creates a dwelling hyperlink between the previous and the current right here in Sweden.
As we speak, tattooing is a acknowledged craft in Sweden, the place practitioners can earn journeyman and grasp certifications. The exhibition options interviews with trailblazers from the Swedish tattoo scene. Heidi Hay, Sweden’s first feminine tattoo artist, is the chair of SRT (Sweden’s Registered Tattoo Artists). Valter Afrachte based Doc Forest’s Studio, which is the primary tattoo studio in Sweden, whereas Sara Swanson based StaDemonia, Sweden’s first queer tattoo studio.
Tattoo – Tales in Ink from the Mediterranean opens Friday, June 13, 2025 and will likely be on view till June 14, 2026, on the Museum of Mediterranean and Close to Japanese Antiquities. Tattoois curated by Luisa Gnecchi Ruscone and Guido Guerzoni, and produced by 24 Ore Cultura for the Museo delle Tradition in Milan, Italy.
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