‘Mark Making’: a UK exhibition puts women tattoo artists front and center
A free show in Canterbury presents women tattooers as artists first, in an industry where they are still estimated to be about one in four.
An exhibition opening next month in Canterbury, England, asks visitors to look at tattooing differently. Mark Making: Women making their mark in tattoo arts spotlights women working in the craft, and deliberately treats them as artists first. In the show’s own title, the word “tattoo” almost fades into the background.
The timing matters. Women are estimated to make up only around 25% of tattoo artists worldwide. That number is rising, but outside a handful of niche forums, their work and their impact on the industry are still poorly documented.
Why it matters
Walk into any convention today and you’ll see women running some of the busiest booths on the floor, in every style from fine line to heavy black & grey. Shows like this one help put that work on the record, in a gallery setting where it gets the same attention as painting or illustration.
Plan your visit
- Dates: October 5 to November 4, 2026
- Where: Herbert Read Gallery, University for the Creative Arts (UCA), New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3AN
- Hours: Monday to Friday, 10am–4pm
- Admission: free
Source: ’cene Magazine.
