TAPPEI
WALL or SKIN
i GALLERY OSAKA is pleased to present WALL or SKIN, a project by Osaka-born, Tokyo-based artist TAPPEI.
Works of art have traditionally evolved as objects displayed on walls, viewed, and collected. Tattoos, by contrast, are inscribed on the body, remaining with the individual as they endure the passage of time together. While these two forms have developed within distinct cultural and institutional frameworks, the boundary between them is far from fixed when considering where the artwork exists and its ownership.
Our motivation for organizing this exhibition is not to present tattooing as fine art. Rather, we believe that TAPPEI's sustained practice offers an opportunity to reflect on fundamental questions in art: What constitutes a work of art, what is an exhibition, and what does it mean to own an artwork?
Now based in Tokyo, TAPPEI has developed a wide range of projects both in Japan and internationally. At the same time, Osaka is where he was born and raised, and where he began his career as a tattoo artist. This exhibition is not intended to reflect on those beginnings. Instead, it has been conceived as an opportunity to present his current practice, cultivated through years of work in Tokyo, in Osaka, the city where it all began.
Nor is this exhibition intended simply to bring tattoo art into the gallery. Rather, it is an exploration of how TAPPEI's ongoing practice can be articulated through the form of an exhibition. Over the course of approximately one year, the project has taken shape through sustained dialogue with the artist, seeking to realize that possibility.
At i GALLERY OSAKA, we aspire not only to provide a place for exhibiting artworks, but also to serve as a platform for proposing new modes of artistic expression to society. This exhibition likewise is not an attempt to compare tattooing with fine art. Instead, by presenting the sustained practice of a single artist through the framework of an exhibition, we hope to create an opportunity to reconsider the relationships between artworks and the body, exhibition and ownership.
We hope this exhibition will not only mark the current stage of TAPPEI's practice, but also encourage each visitor to reflect more deeply, from their own perspective, on the relationship between artworks and the people who engage with them.
DATES
AUGUST 15 - SEPYEMBER 14, 2026
*WED-MON
OPENING RECEPTION
AUGUST15 (SAT), 5-8PM
LOCATION
i GALLERY OSAKA
1F, 3-8-14, MINAMISENBA,
CHUO-KU, OSAKA-SHI,
OSAKA
ARTIST
TAPPEI
" On the wall, or on the skin.
At i GALLERY OSAKA in Osaka, I will be presenting a project where you can choose how you would like to own a work of art.
In my tattoo studio, I usually tattoo onto my clients' skin works that I originally created for tattoos.
For a long time, I've thought of getting a tattoo as one way of owning a work of art.
With this exhibition, I'd like to propose another way of owning a work purchased from a gallery: displaying it on your skin.
A work doesn't have to exist only on a wall—it can be displayed on the skin as well. This exhibition is my attempt to give shape to that idea.
As I worked on these pieces, I often found myself wondering: Will this one end up hanging on someone's wall? Or will it be displayed on someone's skin?
It was a completely new experience for me—different from creating work solely for tattoos, and different from creating work solely for an exhibition.
The exhibition features 200 framed works, each measuring 10 × 10 cm.
When purchasing a work, you may choose either WALL or SKIN.
If you choose WALL, you will receive the framed work together with its certificate of authenticity after the exhibition has ended.
If you choose SKIN, TAPPEI will tattoo the work during one of his scheduled days at the gallery. When purchasing the work, you will be able to choose your preferred date and time from the available schedule.
After the exhibition, you will also receive the framed work. However, it will bear a VOID stamp—a mark that its role as a framed artwork has come to an end, and that it now exists on the skin.
Whether displayed on a wall or worn on the skin as a tattoo, both are ways of owning a work of art.
I hope you'll enjoy deciding where to display your work.
I sincerely look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition."
-TAPPEI
TAPPEI
Artist/Tattoo Artist/Graphic Designer
Born in 1993 in Osaka. Since childhood, he has had a keen interest in art and tattoos, and has been creating art ever since. After dropping out of the Department of Arts and Crafts at Kobe Design University, he saw skin as an extension of the canvas and began working as a tattoo artist.
In 2014, he moved base to Tokyo, where he now works as tattoo artist and graphic designer. To date, he has collaborated with names such as NIKE, UNDERCOVER, BEAMS, CONVERSE, AVIREX, UMBRO, and the Fujirokushosengen Shrine, covering a wide range of fields that includes fashion, culture, and traditional culture. He has also worked on projects such as the key visual for an Ultraman event held at Ikebukuro PARCO, and has held a total of six solo exhibitions in Japan and South Korea.
Although tattooing forms the foundation of his artistic expression, he does not limit himself to a specific medium such as canvas, human skin, print media, or textiles, and continues to use a wide variety of media to express himself.
Instagram: @tappeis