Artwork featuring fresh fish

Four years ago, a fish was just a fish to Linea Hansen of Galleri Momlis in Bagenkop. Of course, she could tell the difference between a herring and a plaice, or a garfish and a cod. But otherwise, her knowledge of identifying fish species was about the same as that of most other Danes.

Today, things are quite different

Linea Hansen is deeply captivated by the Japanese printing technique Gyotaku, which translates as ‘fish print’, and the fish that now pass through her hands at Galleri Momlis are studied intently before she wipes away the slime, arranges its tail and fins, paints it with Japanese ink and finally covers it with thin Japanese paper to create a print.

“I’m a qualified art teacher and am always open to new methods, so when Skagen Museum held a Gyotaku workshop for children, I decided to explore this type of printmaking in a bit more depth,” says Linea Hansen.

A flounder on the kitchen table

At first, it all happened at home. Linea’s husband Martin is a commercial fisherman, and his attitude was a bit like, ‘Oh well, if she thinks it might be fun, then…’, as he tossed her the first flounder. Not alive, but not slaughtered either.

“At first, I just tried using what I had at home. As it happened, some Japanese paper, but no printing ink – just acrylic paint.”

The result was a surprise and gave her the confidence to carry on. And that’s still how the process works.

Linea Hansen constantly feels the urge to improve her technique and challenge herself artistically, for example by incorporating the fish prints into visual narratives such as collages, or by printing on patterned backgrounds, or using old nautical charts, which bring the now-graphic fish back into its natural element.

The mackerel print gets its characteristic blue back with watercolour. Others have pastel chalk added. She experiments with different types of paper and ink – she reckons that Japanese Sumi-Ink, made from compressed soot, is the best!

Pride

“Over time, there are many things I’ve become more aware of. For example, the fish species… which ones are common and which ones are becoming more or less numerous as a result of climate change. I think more about fishing as a profession, and about the pride you sense down here amongst the fishermen… the fact that Bagenkop was once Denmark’s fifth-largest fishing port is still part of people’s stories.”

Through Gyotaku, Linea Hansen has also drawn attention to our seas – the Danish ones, of course – but also to the fact that Denmark and Japan, two archipelagos, share many similarities.

Fish, ink, paper

Much is predetermined in the Gyotaku technique: a fish, printing ink, thin paper. Furthermore, both the fish and the paper must be handled with care, for achieving the correct three-dimensional effect requires practice. And for the dead fish to come back to life on the paper, the image must also be further refined.

Linea Hansen describes herself as a craftsperson and explains that Gyotaku is just like making pancakes. The first one never turns out right. But by the third or fourth print, there is harmony between the fish’s still-damp skin, the paper and the ink.

She then prints up to eight or ten versions of the same motif.

New experiences are constantly coming her way. At first, it was of the rather smelly sort, such as when she learnt that the fish’s gills and mouth must be kept closed if she didn’t want its stomach contents squirted onto the paper.

Since then, she has acquired more refined skills as she spends the winter making prints from the fish delivered to her by the Bagenkop fishermen.

“I’m returning to that very simple graphic expression once again. Gyotaku requires deep concentration – just as a sushi chef, during their training, must cook rice for four years before the result is good. I like the slowness and perfectionism found in Japanese culture.”