Gyokairui 魚介類
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Graphite and Non-photo blue pencil on paper, MDF
510 x 75 x 20 cm. Installation View.
2023
In Gyokairui (魚介類), a 7m expanse of cartridge paper becomes a space for quiet contemplation. Drawn with non-photo blue and graphite pencils, the faint markings of the aquatic subjects resist easy photographic capture, inviting viewers to engage with the artwork directly, fostering a sense of simple harmony. By deliberately omitting colour, the work highlights the beauty of line, texture, and form, challenging how we perceive and identify these creatures through essential marks.
The arrangement of each life-sized fish was an intuitive process, a playful exploration across the unrolled paper, employing a grid system inspired by Chuck Close for accurate representation. Drawing upside down for upper sections added an element of challenge that heightened the artist's observation and added an unexpected joy to the process. The title itself, meaning 'seafood' in Japanese, connects these sushi ingredients through their shared 'fish' radical in kanji, expressing a personal longing for Japan and its culinary delights since the artist's last visit in 2015.
Installed low to the ground, the presentation mirrors viewing fish in a pond. Utilising traditional Western drawing materials and techniques alongside the Eastern principle of 'liubai' (留白), the detailed depictions against empty space aim to spark individual imagination and reflection.
