The traveling exhibition from Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture explores more than 5,000 years of tattooing, from ancient ritual to one of today’s most visible forms of artistic expression
St. Paul, MN — The Science Museum of Minnesota will open Body of Work: Tattoo Culture on Dec. 18, inviting visitors to explore tattooing as one of the oldest and most widespread forms of human expression. Developed by the curatorial team at the Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) in Seattle, the exhibition traces how tattoos have carried meaning across cultures and continents for thousands of years. Body of Work will be open through April 18, 2027.
Body of Work follows tattooing’s long and complicated journey: from its roots in sacred ritual and cultural tradition, through decades of social stigma, to its place today as a celebrated art form and a fixture of popular culture. Along the way, visitors discover how tattoos have marked identity, spirituality, protection, status, remembrance, resistance and personal story.
“People have been tattooing their bodies for thousands of years, on nearly every continent, and that tells us something profound about who we are as a species,” said Alison Rempel Brown, president and CEO of the Science Museum of Minnesota. “Tattoos reveal what communities have valued, how people have marked belonging and change and how we have always found ways to tell our stories. Body of Work gives our visitors a chance to see that history up close and to connect it to the vibrant tattoo culture all around us today.”
The exhibition brings together historic artifacts and imagery, contemporary photography, original artwork, documentary films, oral histories,and large-scale infographics. Sections explore the ancient origins and global traditions of tattooing, Indigenous influences, service tattoos, the artistic process, counterculture and the role music, film, fashion, sports and celebrity have played in bringing tattoos into the mainstream.
Hands-on experiences invite visitors to take part. Guests can discover their own tattoo style, explore a tattoo “pain heat map,” browse hundreds of tattoo submissions from around the world and settle into a vintage tattoo chair for a photo opportunity. Time-lapse films show artists designing and creating tattoos, while ambient soundscapes inspired by working studios bring the experience to life.
The exhibition also features original works by 11 tattoo artists, alongside pieces by acclaimed innovators Bob Tyrrell, Damon Conklin, Nikko Hurtado and Heather Maranda, as well as photographs of Lyle Tuttle, the legendary tattoo artist and historian.
“Whether you have a sleeve full of ink or have never set foot in a tattoo studio, this exhibition has something to offer,” said Rempel Brown. “It’s a story about art and science, tradition and innovation and the deeply human need to express who we are. We hope visitors leave with a new appreciation for the people and cultures behind this remarkable practice.”
An opening event will be held the evening of Dec. 18, with related programming accompanying the exhibit’s run. Details will be forthcoming.
Body of Work: Tattoo Culture was organized by the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle.
About the Science Museum of Minnesota
The Science Museum of Minnesota is one of the state’s most beloved museums, with a reach that extends well beyond its riverfront location. In a unique combination of cutting-edge technology, hands-on STEM exploration, and world-class collection of fossils and artifacts, the museum reaches schools in all 87 Minnesota counties; provides critical STEM workforce development and leadership training for youth; and conducts research on water quality, climate change, paleontology, and archaeology in locations around the world. Equity work is in the Science Museum’s DNA, demonstrated through its commitment to being a resource to the entire community – at a time when science and scientific learning and equitable access to STEM and STEM careers is more critical than ever. For more information, visit smm.org.
