1 December 2023
Members’ Preview, 5–6 pm
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Public Reception, 6–9 pm
Party and music with Kingston-based DJ Kid Koncussion, 7:30–9 pm
“From conversations with close friends and clients, I have come to know that there’s a shared experience when getting tattooed: with every new piece, we feel closer and closer to our true selves. I consider this transformative shift magic. It has the capacity to not only change our own interpretation of ourselves but also of others, a small form of shapeshifting. We can protect ourselves with tattoos; hold onto fond memories; mark moments of survival; and honour our identities. With our tattoos, we can dream up better and more radical futures, where our skin tells stories and casts spells.” — Abby Nowakowski
In we are magic: a love letter to our tattoos, printmaker and tattoo artist Abby Nowakowski transforms Agnes’s Artist Project Space into a greeting place for folks who feel intimidated by the parlour tattoo industry and a space for radical softness. Whether you’re here for a tattoo appointment, to read through tattoo love letters, or to receive an offering of a temporary tattoo, this space has room for you.
Drawing on ideas of trauma-informed care and tattooing as liberation work, Nowakowski is inspired by and refers to contemporary artist and oral historian Tamara Santibañez.
Abby Nowakowski (she/they) is a queer interdisciplinary artist and art educator currently living and working in Sharbot Lake and Katarokwi-Kingston. Through printmaking, illustration and handpoke tattooing, they spread advocacy for care, share stories, and make space for radical softness. Abby is drawn to the gentler pace of handpoke and takes a trauma-informed approach to tattooing which has fostered a safer and more empowering experience for clients. Driven by curiosity and kindness, their practice extends into art facilitation with a range of collaborations, workshops, and performances which radiate from queer ecologies and friendships.