Award-winning Kāpiti Coast artist Tim Li is set to open his new exhibition in Wellington City this week.

The exhibition, titled ‘A lasting impression’, brings together a selection of his gyotaku works from the past two years, and aims to change the way in which we see the ocean as a resource.

“It is inevitable that we turn to the ocean as a resource. We pillage and exploit marine life for our own financial gain or as “kill content” to boost our social media presence. Gyotaku shifts our focus towards the power nature has over us instead. It showcases the underlying beauty and peculiarity of fish species found in Aotearoa”.

Originating in Japan in the mid 1800’s, Gyotaku is a technique that involves inking physical fish, then applying paper or cotton and rubbing the surface to record an imprint of that fish. It was originally used by Japanese Fishermen as a way to record the size of their catch, and presents the textures, details and intricacies of each subject printed.

For Tim, this technique forces him to slow down and appreciate the reality of the ocean. From missing scales to tears from fishing hooks, from damaged fin membranes to speargun holes, gyotaku captures only the truth of what is occurring under our noses.

“Gyotaku is a way of life, and these artworks act as the narrators to our own salty tales of the sea. They are reminders of our experiences with the ocean. They are a record of a moment in time”.

A lasting impression will be open from 1st - 12th May, at TwentySix Gallery in Newtown, Wellington.

Tim was the recipient of both the Curators Award and the People's Choice Award at the recent Imprint Exhibition, for his 1.5m original gyotaku of a warehenga (yellowtail kingfish).

By Anna Macrae

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