Shayla Bowen “Half Dead”
Beyond Skin Deep: Tattoo Artist Showcase
- Thursday, Aug 6, 2026 6pm Art Reception
- Thu, Aug 6, 2026 - Sat, Sep 12, 2026 6pm - 12pm
East Corridor Gallery
Experience work made by local Houston tattoo artists in a variety of mediums.
Tattooing has long been accepted as a folk art. This exhibition asks viewers to consider tattoo art and work created by tattooers as fine art. Displayed in a traditional gallery setting, works in oil, graphite, ink, and more assert themselves as totally belonging, yet with a perspective unique to artists who work on the human body. In this showcase you’ll find traditional flash paintings alongside portraits in oils - both displaying the relationship tattooers have between their personal art practices and art made for clients. Leave this exhibit with a fresh take on how tattoo artists see the world - and how tattoo art is more than skin deep.
This is a group show featuring many local Houston tattoo artists.
About the curator:
Julian Solis is a nonbinary tattoo artist living and working in Houston, Texas. A lifelong painter, Julian began tattooing in 2022. In both their paintings and tattoos, you can see a love of vibrant color and playful energy. Nostalgic or comforting imagery features heavily in all areas of their creative practice. They currently work out of Sabine Street Studios #165. Julian has been named “Best Tattoo Artist” in Outsmart Magazine’s “Gayest & Greatest” Reader’s choice awards in 2023 and 2025.