Exhibitions On now

Closeup of a tattoo on a man's thighs

Tatau: Tatau Sāmoa ma ata puʻe Tatau: Sāmoan Tattooing and Photography

Tīgā. Faʻasinomaga. ʻAuala fou. Maimoa mai i le Tatau Sāmoa e ala i ata puʻe o ni tagata puʻeata se toʻafā – aʻo faʻagasolo le taimi i Sāmoa, Aotearoa Niu Sila, ma tala atu. ʻOleʻā ʻe faʻalogo foʻi i le tāua o le Tatau Sāmoa mai i a latou ʻoloʻo lāʻeiina nei faʻailoga paʻia.

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Pain. Identity. Innovation. Experience Sāmoan tattooing through the lenses of four photographers – across time, in Sāmoa, Aotearoa

  AotearoaNew ZealandMāori | Noun, and beyond. You’ll also hear about tatau’s significance from those who wear these sacred markings.

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Ko te tatau, ko te tāpatupatu uhi e haehae ai i te kiri, he mamae, he mana, he tapu. Mā ēnei karu nō te tokowhā kaihopu whakaahua e rongo ai i te tā tatautanga i te takanga o te wā, i te takahanga o te ao. Ka rongo kōrero anō mō te hunga kua tāia ki te uhi tapu, arā, ki te autā.

See all Toi Art exhibitions
  • When | Āhea 9 Nov 2019 – 7 Jun 2020
  • Where | Ki hea Toi Art, Level 4
  • Cost | Te utu Free entry
  • Ages | Te reanga All ages
  • Accessibility | E wātea ana ki
    • Wheelchair accessible
    • Floor has some shallow slopes
    • Accessible toilet.

    Find out more about accessibility at Te Papa

  • Large photos of people with tattoos on them
    1/7

    View of Tatau: Samoan Tattooing and Photography, Level 4, Toi Art, 2019. Photo by Maarten Holl. Te Papa

  • Visitors look at photos on gallery walls
    2/7

    View of Tatau: Samoan Tattooing and Photography, Level 4, Toi Art, 2019. Photo by Maarten Holl. Te Papa

  • View of a gallery, photos of tattooed people on the walls
    3/7

    View of Tatau: Samoan Tattooing and Photography, Level 4, Toi Art, 2019. Photo by Maarten Holl. Te Papa

  • Closeup of a tattoo on a man‘s thighs
    4/7

    Greg Semu, Front of pe‘a, Nouma Kiriau, 1994, gelatin silver print. Purchased 2019. Te Papa (TMP035038)

  • A woman lies on the floor with her legs up against a wall, revealing a detailed tattoo
    5/7

    Angela Tiatia, Walking the Wall, 2014, digital video. Purchased 2017. Te Papa (2017-0019-1/1-8 to 8-8)

  • A man poses to show off his arm and chest tattoos
    6/7

    John Agcaoili, Tattooing by Sulu‘ape Si'i Liufau, 2016, print. Purchased 2019. Image courtesy of the artist. Te Papa (TMP035059)

  • Close-up of a person getting a Samoan tattoo
    7/7

    Mark Adams, Farwood Drive, Henderson, west Auckland Tattooing Uli Tufuga tatatau: Su‘a Tavui Pasina Iosefo Ah Ken, 1982, print. Image courtesy of the artist. Te Papa (TMP036153)

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For educators Mā te pouako

Using the new Tatau: Sāmoan Tattooing and Photography exhibition, students learn about tatau’s significance from those who wear these ceremonial markings.
Adornment and Identity education visit
Inside an exhibition, large photographs of tattooed men hang on the walls

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