Eel acrylic painting, infused with river water, on found timber that won the Judge's Award for the Estuary Art and Ecology Award 2025.
Artist statement: Tāmaki river is an important, but polluted, river in Aotearoa New Zealand with dwindling eel numbers reflecting a dire situation. Longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) is at risk of extinction. Like eels, we’re chained to water for survival.
Chained to Tāmaki explores and captures the eel’s importance and their environment. A diseased eel suspended in darkness is painted with river water on a plank. The wood represents a likely item found around rivers; chains are adorned with patterns inspired by Māori art and water ripples on glossy surfaces comparable to eels. Chains illustrate the polluting metals and metaphorical ‘chain’ to nature.
Historically, Māori predicted water quality through eel and environmental observations. Eel are culturally significant and crucial in local ecosystems; they’re vulnerable to environmental pressures including habitat loss and pollution, as evident in the 2021 Huntington Park incident resulting in 30 dead eels.
