Seventh Son Tattoo in San Francisco presented the exhibition Year Of The Tiger, a group show of artists celebrating the end of the year 2022, the year of the tiger, with an exhibition dedicated to this much-loved and popular symbol in the tradition of tattoo culture.
The exhibition, curated by Luke Stuart, culminated in a public evening last January at 111Minna Gallery where works by local and international artists who took part in the project, including Henry Lewis, Jason Kundell, George Campise, Trevor McStay, Lango Olivera, Paul Dobleman, Grime, Yutaru Sakai and Scott Sylvia, were offered for sale.
The tiger image has long been a popular and iconic symbol in tattoo culture. 2022 was the year of the water tiger under the Chinese zodiac, an auspicious year that comes only every 60 years.
With this exhibition, by centring all of the works on such a familiar image, the artists had the opportunity to give it new life; whether it was translating it into tattoo designs, or creative interpretations of the tiger that are uniquely born from the imagination of each individual.
Its meanings can vary greatly depending on the origin; it is often a symbol of strength, courage, and fearlessness, and when depicted alongside a dragon, the tiger embodies earth while the dragon symbolizes heaven — representing the binary of yin and yang, respectively.
In Japanese lore, the white tiger specifically is a sacred animal known as Byakko, one of 4 beasts worshipped as divine guardians.
Full of a rich history of mythology, lore and deeply rooted symbolism, the tiger has thus been a popular motif in flash designs for decades and has become somewhat of a mascot for tattoo culture.
Luke Stewart (Seventh Son Tattoo owner – show curator) – @seventhsontattoo | Stace Forand – @waterstreetphantom | Henry Lewis – @henrylewis77 | Zac Scheinbaum – @zacscheinbaum | Victor J Webster – @victorjwebster | Victor Reyes – @victorreyesstudio | Cindy Maxwell – @cindy_maxwell | Acetates – @acetates | Mike Roper – @somatictattoo | Jason Kundell – @jason_kundell_awr | Kim Stace Thomas – @kthomato | George Campise – @georgecampise | Matt Leibo – @sweetleib | Christina Ramos – @tiger_ramos | Andre Malcolm – @andremalcolm_studio | Trevor McStay – @dynamictrev | Orly Locquiao – @orlycukui | Jared Smith – @jaredsmith_art | Miss Juliet – @m1ss_juliet | Lango Olivera – @langooliveira | Shun Nakatsuru – @shun_seventhson | Max May – @maxmaytattoo | Paul Dobleman – @pauldobleman | Yutaro Sakai – @warriorism | Jordan Cole Wright – @jordancolewright | Joey Armstrong – @jarmstrongtat2 | Grime – @the_grime | Jeff Croci – @jeffcroci | Scott Sylvia – @scsylvia | Amanda Lynn – @alynnpaint
