The beginning of the 21st century has radically rewritten many constants in the art world, blurring the lines between high culture and what was previously considered mere craft or subculture. One of the most telling examples of this tectonic shift has been the absorption of the term “body art” by tattooing. What sixty years ago represented a radical, anti-museum performance, today is firmly associated with the work of a master forever transforming human skin. The exceptional solo exhibition of watercolors and tattoo photographs by artist Sanja Petrović titled “On Paper and Under the Skin,” organized by the City Museum of Sombor, provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on this ontological shift.
Redefining “Body Art”: From Duchamp to the Dermis
The term “body art” emerged around 1960 as an answer from artists to the exhaustion of classical forms – sculpture and painting. In the 1960s, creators actively moved into performances and happenings, using their own bodies as the main object and medium. The radical avant-garde movement “Fluxus,” founded by George Maciunas, presented this concept in its 1962 manifesto as something anti-museum, elusive, and mythical – essentially, Dadaism amplified by new media.
We remember the iconic projects of the British duo Gilbert and George, who made their bodies the central product of art. For example, in 1968, they covered their faces and hands with bronze paint and stood as “living sculptures” for eight hours at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Later, they sold themselves as an installation for the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. They used their physical shells simultaneously as an artistic medium and as a finished product.
However, by the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, as art became so intense and multifaceted that it often confuses even the sophisticated public, a substitution of concepts occurred. Today, when we say “body art,” the image of a tattoo arises in most people’s minds – quietly but dominantly. The question arises: is this simply a change in word usage (semantics) or a complete change in the meaning these words carry (ontology)? In the context of tattoo culture, where a drawing on the skin becomes permanent, intimate, and often sacred, the ontological shift is evident.
The Exhibition “On Paper and Under the Skin”: A Bridge Between Craft and Architecture
Sanja Petrović’s exhibition at the City Museum of Sombor is the first solo exhibition of its kind in the city’s history, which in itself symbolizes the recognition of tattooing as a full-fledged art form. Sanja Petrović, born in Sombor in 1988, has a unique education that reflects the multifaceted nature of her approach. In 2012, she graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Belgrade, earning a Master of Architecture degree, while simultaneously studying painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts for three years. Her works, presented in Sombor, cover the period from 2018 to 2023 and include not only photographs of already realized tattoos but also their artistic sketches: drawings, watercolors, and gouaches.
This is not the artist’s first foray into the public sphere. A modified version of her exhibition was previously shown in Novi Sad. Significantly, in 2023, the opening at the SPENS gallery featured an introductory speech by the renowned Serbian comic artist Dejan Nenadov, who specially arrived from Amsterdam.
Expert Analysis: Tattoo as a Traditional Segment of Subculture
In his speech, Dejan Nenadov emphasized that tattoo culture is a deep, traditional segment of subculture, carrying complex coded messages. He competently touched upon historical aspects that are often overlooked in a superficial glance at the modern tattoo mainstream:
- Maritime Symbolism: Tattoos and piercings of sailors on sailing ships served as hidden signals, indicating their specialization, routes traveled, or even status.
- Prison Apocrypha: Symbols denoting the number of victims, sins committed, apologies, or affiliation with a specific hierarchy.
- Esoteric Signs: Occult and other marks of closed groups, serving to identify “insiders” and distinguish from the outside world.
This context, integrated into the exhibition space, lends additional weight to Petrović’s works. Her exhibition is not just a demonstration of skill but an exploration of how ancient, often marginal languages of symbols transition into the gallery space while retaining their inner, intimate power. Considering the slow but steady progress Sombor is demonstrating in accepting new art forms (for example, the first local solo comic exhibition, organized by Sanja’s father, took place in 2002), it can be assumed that Petrović’s work will become an important catalyst for further recognition of tattoo art.
From “Spike Piercing” to Insider Knowledge
The exhibition’s title and its context compel the audience to look anew at familiar expressions. Phrases like “get under the skin,” “become an insider,” or “wear skin on a spike” (referencing an ancient method of applying drawings) acquire a literal, bodily meaning. A tattoo is the ultimate acceptance of an idea, symbol, or aesthetic; it is an act that translates external, ephemeral inspiration into an internal, permanent part of one’s personality.
Sanja Petrović’s creative work, which combines academic architectural thinking with painterly expression, shows that contemporary tattooing has long ceased to be mere decoration. It is a highly organized, technically complex art form that requires not only mastery of the needle but also a deep understanding of composition and anatomy. The fact that her works first exist as independent watercolor studies and then are transferred to the skin emphasizes their dual nature – as a finished work on paper and as a living, dynamic installation on the body. This approach convincingly proves that tattooing has undergone a complete ontological transition, establishing itself as a high, albeit unconventional, art form.