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Legendary ‘mambabatok’ Apo Whang-Od featured in Canada art exhibit
The oldest and the last original "mambabatok" or hand-tap tattoo artist, Apo Whang-Od from a tribe in Kalinga, is featured in an ongoing art exhibit in Canada.
From the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, the exhibition entitled "Tattoo: Ritual, identity, obsession, art" traveled to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Canada.
The exhibit explores the 5,000-year-old multifaceted world of tattooing and its cultural significance.
Apo Whang-Od is one of the featured artists in the exhibit.
According to ROM's press release, "Tattoo" showcases the visual history of body art and markings, along with prints, posters, ancient tools, and commissioned tattooed silicone body reproductions inked by some of the most respected tattooists in the world.
Nine documentary videos showing various aspects of tattooing in different cultures will also be screened.
Moreover, visitors can view 13 silicone body parts inked by leading tattoo artists including Tin-Tin (France), Horiyoshi III (Japan), Filip Leu (Switzerland), Paul Booth (USA), Chimé (Polynesia), and Yann Black (Montreal).
“The exhibition brings to life the more than 5,000 year-old history of tattoos, exploring these ancient practices and their cultural significance," said Chris Darling, Senior Curator of Entomology of the museum.
He added, "It will inspire ROM visitors to consider how the complex traditions of ink under the skin are constantly changing and have led to the global phenomenon of body art."
This face, our face, within the city of Toronto.Apo Whang Od, also known as Fang-od Odday, one of the last Kalinga master tattooists, is showcased in an exhibit @ Royal Ontario Museum. #proudcordilleran
Posted by KayLeen B. Kwet on Sunday, April 3, 2016
Ninety-seven-year-old Apo Whang-Od has been part of history as the last traditional tattoo artist from Kalinga using a thorn from the pomelo tree and bamboo to print the ancient art on a person's body.
In earlier times, girls would receive tattoos as they enter womanhood while men would get them for their achievements.
Many have been campaigning for Apo Whang-Od to be declared as Pambansang Alagad ng Sining for her role in preserving the dying art of traditional and cultural tattoo.
The exhibition "Tattoo: Ritual, identity, obsession, art" is on view at the Royal Ontario Museum from April 2 to September 5, 2016. —Bianca Rose Dabu/KG, GMA News
