Gyotaku – Fish prints

Using cuttlefish ink or a pigment made from charcoal powder, the most impressive specimens were imprinted onto washi paper, making it possible to identify the species with precision and, above all, to record their size. Because, as we all know, exaggerating the size is a temptation that is hard to resist…

Over time, the technique has evolved into a true art form, brought to its pinnacle by masters such as Masatzu Matzunaga and Ryuzabuto Takao.

Elena Di Capita was the first artist to bring gyotaku techniques to Italy, reinterpreting them with the fish of her homeland, Liguria. Starting from a more traditional printing style, she began experimenting with anchovies, creating swirls, spirals and spheres of considerable size, capable of conveying, in a striking way, the sense of energy and movement of schools of fish immersed in the depths of the sea. Her superimpositions of fish species and botanical elements – orchids, strelitzias, ginkgo flowers – realistically express all the beauty contained within the natural world.

Notes

• The exhibition can also be visited on other days or at other times by prior arrangement