"Body Art"
2000-07-16 until 2000-09-30
South Australian Museum
Adelaide, SA, AU Australia

From genital piercing to ceremonial body painting, Body Art is a brave new exhibition at the South Australian Museum which celebrates the ways in which people adorn and transform their bodies. Opened on Sunday 16th July 2000, Body Art on tour from the Australian Museum explores tattooing, piercing, scarification, body modification and body painting in cultures both past and present.

Intimate photographs, audio visual displays and artefacts from private and public collections will explore the body art of individuals and communities all over the world. Bare-all personal stories revealing how and why people use their bodies as an artists canvas are joined by objects from the Australian Museums vast Indigenous Australian, Pacific, African and Asian collections. Items such as leather S&M corsetry, Samoan tattooing tools and photographs commissioned for the exhibition reveal the universal nature of body art, across cultures and throughout time.

The recently reopened SA Museum is the first stop on a national tour after having enjoyed a huge season at the Australian Museum. Trish McDonald, Chair of the Australian Museums Body Art project team said their aim was to create a visually stunning, thought provoking and sometimes controversial journey exploring this universal human trait.

In this exhibition, people from all walks of life tell their own stories about the how, why and where of their body art practice. From purely decorative designs to traditional and religious markings, Body Art gets under the skin of some fascinating practices.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Australia

Other Important Exhibitions in Australia