Human Marks: Tattooing in Contemporary Art
Joseloff Gallery
September 11 – December 13, 2025
Human Marks: Tattooing in Contemporary Art explores convergences between tattoo culture and global contemporary art. The exhibition, book (Hirmer Publishers), and related programming present the full creative spectrum of artists who maintain both tattoo and studio practices to ask what the world of fine art can learn from today’s tattoo community. With a range of surprising media—from paintings made with human blood to wearable works in silicone and even perfumery—themes of ritual, ethics, and identity tie together the materially dynamic, unexpected, and challenging artwork featured in Human Marks.
Human Marks will be the 8th International Distinguished Artists Symposium and Exhibition (IDASE) at the Hartford Art School, marking a long-awaited return of this esteemed exhibition program after an eleven-year hiatus. Significantly, Human Marks will build on the legacy of IDASE by commissioning six new works for the exhibition. Participating artists include Kaur Alia Ahmed, Oz Bardos, Makoto Chi, Nassim Dayoub, Evan Paul English, Gesiye, Don Ed Hardy, Ciara Havishya, Dr. Lakra, Christopher Martin, Duke Riley, Miller Robinson, Tamara Santibañez, Lyric Shen, and Jayna Won.
In addition to the main exhibition in Joseloff Gallery, the Hartford Art School’s Silpe Gallery will present Realigned Possession, an installation and 8-hour performance by Miller Robinson and Creighton Baxter that elaborates on the theme of identity, specifically in relation to Queer uses of the body.
Related Programming
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 11, 5–7 p.m. at Joseloff Gallery
Symposium: Friday, September 12, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., followed by a Community Dinner
Realigned Possession Performance: Friday, September 12, 10 a.m.–6 p.m at Silpe Gallery
Preorders for the book can be placed here.
The exhibition and programming are generously supported by funds held by Hartford Art School Endowment, Inc. and a grant from the Roberts Foundation for the Arts.
The 8th International Distinguished Artists Symposium (IDASE) Programming
9:30-10 a.m. Light refreshments and coffee
Location: Wilde Auditorium lobby
10-10:30 a.m. Opening remarks by Carrie Cushman
Location: Wilde Auditorium
10:30-11:45 a.m. Panel: Tattooing, Activism, and Social Work
Location: Wilde Auditorium
Learn about the role of tattooing in raising public awareness around pressing social justice issues in this discussion-based panel. Speakers include the artists Oz Bardos, Nassim Dayoub, and Tamara Santibañez in conversation with panel moderator Professor Mala Matacin.
11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch Break
Location: Koopman Commons
Boxed lunches are available for purchase ahead of time by registering for the symposium online. Food is also available for purchase at the Gengras Student Union the day of the event.
1-2:30 p.m. Deep Dive Experiences
Pre-registration is not required for the following activities. Visitors are welcome to move freely between events. We ask that visitors show respect for the speakers and their fellow audience members by quietly entering and exiting each experience and kindly waiting if a space is at capacity.
A. Realigned Possession performance with Miller Robinson and Creighton Baxter
Location: Silpe Gallery, Taub Hall
Witness part of an 8-hour, unscripted performance by Miller Robinson and Creighton Baxter. Realigned Possession is an exhibition, performance, and video by artists Creighton Baxter and Miller Robinson, first staged in 2020 and reconceived on the occasion of Human Marks. The project is a meditation on queer uses of the body, resulting in an installation that traces the material relationships established during the performance.
The performance will begin at 10am and run through 6pm. Visitors are welcome to drop in at any point during the performance.
B. Exhibition viewing with Carrie Cushman
Location: Joseloff Gallery
Stop by the gallery to explore the Human Marks exhibition. The curator Dr. Carrie Cushman will be present to answer questions and point out artworks that highlight the themes of identity, ritual, and ethics explored in the exhibition. The Human Marks book will also be available for purchase in the gallery.
C. Water transfer demonstration with Lyric Shen
Location: Sculpture Building, 3D Foundations
Experience an artist talk and demonstration led by Human Marks artist Lyric Shen, who uses water to transfer film to three-dimensional objects. Shen will demo this technique with multiple objects to show how the film reacts to different materials, from ceramics to plastic.
D. Perfumery demonstration with Ciara Havishya
Location: Taub Hall, Book Arts V148
Experience an artist talk and perfumery demonstration led by Human Marks artist Ciara Havishya. In this demo, Havishya will showcase the raw materials and basic components in perfume—top, heart, and base notes—and the magic that happens when they come together to create a new scent.
E. Conversation with Makoto Chi and Fiona Smith
Location: TBD
Join artist Makoto Chi in conversation with Fiona Smith, a trans woman who chose tattooing as a prominent part of her transitioning process. In this open format Q&A, they will discuss Smith’s body suit, tattooing as a form of “trans armor,” and self-advocacy through tattooing.
F. Film screening of Tattoo Nation
Location: Wilde Auditorium
How did tattoos go from something that was put on you to an expression that comes from within you? That transformation is the subject of the groundbreaking documentary film, TATTOO NATION. Run time: 1 hour, 26 minutes
2:30-2:45 p.m. Reconvene in Wilde Auditorium to learn about upcoming Human Marks programming
2:45-4 p.m. Panel: Tattooing and Identity Formation
Location: Wilde Auditorium
Learn about the relationship between tattooing, the human body, and identity in this panel featuring Kaur Alia Ahmed, Christopher Martin, and Evan Paul English in conversation with panel moderator Andra Nadirshah.
4-5:30 p.m. Keynote Address by Matt Lodder
Location: Wilde Auditorium
Dr. Matt Lodder is a Senior Lecturer in Art History and Theory, and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art History at the University of Essex, and one of the University of Essex' Public Voice Scholars. 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. In this keynote address, Dr. Lodder will discuss the history of the relationship between tattooing and the institutional art world. The talk will cover the long and surprising history of the links between tattooing and fine art, from painterly metaphors used by antiquarians and the display of tattooed skins as art, through Edwardian patronage; the inclusion of tattooing in folk art displays; the use of tattooing by conceptual artists in the mid-20th century; to the myriad ways in which contemporary artists draw upon tattooing in their work today, and in which working tattooers are increasingly finding themselves at home in galleries.
5:30 p.m. Break to explore exhibition, Realigned Possession performance, and book signing with the artists
6 p.m. Community Dinner at the 1877 Club
Sign up online or by emailing HASE, Inc. Board Manager Amanda Lusteg at lusteg@hartford.edu