Apo Whang-Od made more than a few headlines when she starred on the cover of Vogue in 2023, becoming the magazine’s oldest-ever cover model at 106—and likely the first covered in tattoos from the neck down. The Filipina tattoo artist brought her connection to ancestral tattoo practices to the forefront—which is exactly what “True Tribal: Contemporary Expressions of Ancestral Tattoo Practices” is set to do starting in late March at the Museum of Vancouver.

The immersive exhibit—including blood impression paintings, projections, and augmented reality (AR) experiences—will explore three decades of global Indigenous tattooing practices, from the Métis to the Māori.

The Indigenous tattoo artists who will be featured in the show include Tristen Jenni Sanderson (Woodland and Plains Cree), Terje Koloamatangi (Tongan), Nolan Malbeuf (Métis), Mo-Naga (Uipo Naga), Julie Paama-Pengelly (Māori), Gordon Sparks (Mi’kmaq), Nathalie Standingcloud (Cherokee) and Dion Kaszas (Nlaka’pamux).

“This exhibition seeks to enliven our community’s relationship to their ancestral visual languages, which are written on the rocks, in our families’ homes or on ancestral belongings in museum collections,” says Kaszas, co-curator and artist in the show, in a release.

Through an AR smartphone app, exhibition-goers can explore tattoo designs in an immersive digital space alongside the artifacts that inspired them—nodding to merging the ancient and sacred practices with current technology.

“True Tribal: Contemporary Expressions of Ancestral Tattoo Practices”

When: Opens March 28

Where: Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver)

Admission: Starting at $15; free for Indigenous people