Once viewed as the markings of outlaws and people with loose morals, tattoos have infiltrated mainstream culture over the last half-century with one in seven people now sporting ink. Touring art exhibition from Townsville’s Pinnacles Gallery, A Permanent Mark: the impact of tattoo culture on contemporary art, draws together a number of notable works by national and international artists to encapsulate how far and in what ways tattoo has infiltrated the contemporary art sphere.

A Permanent Mark questions how the contemporary art world now views a medium that is becoming increasingly popular and encourages viewers to imagine how the intersect between contemporary art and tattooing will continue to evolve. Have a read of our chat with the exhibition’s curator, Eric Nash, and be sure to mark January 28 in your diary for The Arts Centre Gold Coast’s After Dark program: Tattoo and Art. The event features Eric alongside recognised tattoo authority Dr Mair Underwood and artist Leslie Rice as they discuss their personal experiences with tattoo and views on the evolution of the practice in an art context.