A Paraparaumu man is aiming to change the way the world sees the ocean as a resource with his newest art exhibition, A Lasting Impression.
Tim Li’s exhibition will bring together a selection of his artworks from the past two years — all some of his signature gyotaku works.
Gyotaku is a traditional Japanese style of printing that involves applying ink to a fish and then covering it with paper or cotton, and rubbing the surface to record an imprint of the fish.
Li said doing this exhibition had been a good motivator for him to try to get better at gyotaku as an art form.
“I still feel like I am very much new to this technique.”
He said he had the opportunity to print some “pretty extraordinary” fish over the past two years, so being able to work towards an extensive collection had been one of his goals.
Some of Tim Li's gyotaku prints from a previous exhibition.
Li said he wanted viewers of his exhibition to experience a sense of wonder and amazement when they saw his prints — especially if they were not familiar with the ocean and its inhabitants.
“I like how these artworks can be active narrators of our own tales and experiences of the ocean.”
For Li, who is an avid spearfisher and catches all the fish he uses in his art, gyotaku 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.”
Li discovered gyotaku when he was teaching printmaking and visual arts at Wellington High School and, with his “fascination and obsession” with the ocean, he said it seemed like a natural fit to start pursuing the art form.
“I also like how it’s an alternative to the classic wall-mount fish trophies that so many fishermen pursue as a means of recording their memorable catch.”
He said gyotaku could be challenging because it was an unpredictable process and, no matter how much control the artist demonstrated, they never knew what they were going to get.
A gyotaku print from one of Tim Li's previous exhibitions.
Li has found sourcing the fish has always been tricky because he can only go spearfishing so many times and he wants to be able to eat all the fish he catches.
“It’s exciting when a commercial or recreational fisherman gets in touch with specimens that you’ve been longing to print. I’ve been lucky to make a lot of contacts around the country as a result.”
Li has plans to continue working with fish through his gyotaku and drawing.
“There are far more species to celebrate than I could draw in a lifetime. It’s an aspirational goal to embrace.”
He said he would love to go to Japan, where gyotaku originates, to learn from the masters and refine his craft.
Li was the recipient of the Curators Award and the People’s Choice Award for his 1.5m original gyotaku of a warehenga (yellowtail kingfish) at the recent Imprint Exhibition.
Li’s new exhibition will run at the Twentysix Gallery in Newtown, Wellington, from May 1 to 12.
