Mark Wooller 'Charting the Catch' September 25-October 15 2019.

Warwick Henderson Gallery,  Newmarket, Auckland.

This exhibition, is inspired by the book ‘Fishing Methods and devices of the Maori’ by Elsdon Best published in 1929.

Elsdon Best traveled New Zealand recording and documenting the methods and lore of fishing from the Maori culture, this knowledge through his writings are now preserved and form a valuable contribution to our culture. 

"In the painting ‘Charting the Catch’,( below) the names refer to the type of eel, the size, and the colour.

In ‘To catch an Eel’ the words are names that describe the parts of the Eel pots, nets and process of setting the pot."

"In this exhibition, the Hinaki/Eel pot is not necessarily to catch an eel with, but rather the net/pot is more of a filter that sieves thoughts and images that float by.

 ‘Charting the catch’ is not so much about fishing but the suspension of nets to catch and filter, to hold down one’s ideas and to anchor those ideas. This concept portrays the act of harnessing the elusive character of creativity."

"The use of the written word is an essential part of this series of work. As in a map, this usage of place names and objects gives context and a background reference to locality and placement.

In ‘Five rivers’, ‘To Catch’, and ‘Northland Lakes’ The words and the landscape features allow the piece to be read like a map."

"The form of ‘Hinaki’ or Eel pot is a universal shape, each culture from the Pacific to Europe has created these forms, sharing common shapes, construction and entrapment devices. I hope this representation creates a appreciation of our sense of belonging to a common culture."

"The inclusion of ‘Cape Rodney’ serves as a Mihi to anchor the exhibition to my region of Aotearoa, the place where these works were created and evolved to what see here in ‘Charting the Catch’."