Aia Contemporary is pleased to present “Low Tide” the first European solo exhibition by acclaimed tattoo artist Amanda Wachob.

Among the originators of the “watercolour” style, her pioneering work has been a major contributor to the transition of tattooing into the “fine art” styles that pervade the contemporary tattooing culture.  

Themes of transition, creation, destruction and reflection ripple through “Low Tide” in both subtle and profound ways. The immense power of the Pacific Ocean, a new home for the formerly east-coast artist, plays a central role in the collection and proves an apt metaphor for change, both internally and externally.    

“The tides pull in and push out like an inhale and an exhale. At low tide, the sea reveals what it usually keeps. Like momentarily lifting a veil. Sometimes offering treasures: a pretty shell, delicate sea glass, a mysterious 2,000-year-old grove known as the Ghost Forest. Sometimes, it shows us things we’d rather not see: jagged rocks, sharp barnacles, trapped and muddy debris (internal excavations). The shore holds a memory.”

The works are kept small, intimate and personal, postcards and keepsakes of a moment passed. Shells, left behind by their original inhabitants as they also transition from one phase of life to another, are transmuted into metal sculptures and augmented with tattoo needles, an influence which is never far from the artist’s work. Her paintings, crafted with oil, pigment and tattoo ink, are rendered onto glass, also a highly symbolic choice. 

“…[It’s] fragile and reflective, like a window, peering through only one side. Perception and concealment and the limits of what we can know. Working with both its front and back lets me play with layers and makes light an active participant in the work.” 

Join us on Thursday, November 12th at 18:00 to experience this captivating collection and meet the artist.