Japanese artist Shimabuku is a contemporary surrealist, bringing new meaning and value to the everyday through his staging (and documenting) of quirky journeys and encounters. He has in the past undertaken a worldwide search for a legendary mermaid, taken a slow boat from London to Birmingham (allowing him plenty of time to make pickles on the way), and taken an octopus for a trip to a Tokyo fish market. In Liverpool he encountered scouse, the stew that gives local inhabitants their nickname, and then moved on to that other great British gastronomic tradition, fish and chips. His film presents his uniquely imaginative take on how the two ingredients might first have met.

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Japanese artist Shimabuku is a contemporary surrealist, bringing new meaning and value to the everyday through his staging (and documenting) of quirky journeys and encounters. He has in the past undertaken a worldwide search for a legendary mermaid, taken a slow boat from London to Birmingham (allowing him plenty of time to make pickles on the way), and taken an octopus for a trip to a Tokyo fish market. In Liverpool he encountered scouse, the stew that gives local inhabitants their nickname, and then moved on to that other great British gastronomic tradition, fish and chips. His film presents his uniquely imaginative take on how the two ingredients might first have met.

In 2000 Shimabuku gave an octopus from Akashi a tour of Tokyo. Far removed from its natural habitat, the octopus experienced a series of encounters that were, unquestionably, historical firsts. In his search for new value in the everyday, Shimabuku's works begin with simple, often surreal, ideas that are meticulously realised and documented. The narratives that occur throughout their production are as central to the final work as the original idea.


Visiting Liverpool, the artist discovered scouse, the dish made of lamb, onions, potatoes and carrots that gives locals their name. Curious as to how its component parts, each from different counties within Britain, first came together, he sampled various recipes in eateries throughout the city. Pondering other British dishes, Shimabuku came to the nation's other great contribution to global cuisine: fish and chips. His film for the Biennial documents the fictional first encounter between the dish's constituents and shows a potato embarking on an underwater tour of Liverpool. With the octopus, Shimabuku introduced the sea to the land; now it is time for the land to meet the sea. This seemingly absurd encounter ultimately encourages a questioning of the mundane elements of quotidian life.

Laurence Sillars

[LESS]
In 2000 Shimabuku gave an octopus from Akashi a tour of Tokyo. Far removed from its natural habitat, the octopus experienced a series of encounters that were, unquestionably, historical firsts. In his search for new value in the everyday, Shimabuku's works begin with simple, often surreal, ideas that are meticulously realised and documented. The narratives that occur throughout their production are as central to the final work as the original idea.


Visiting Liverpool, the artist discovered scouse, the dish made of lamb, onions, potatoes and carrots that gives locals their name. Curious as to how its component parts, each from different counties within Britain, first came together, he sampled various recipes in eateries throughout the city. Pondering other British dishes, Shimabuku came to the nation's other great contribution to global cuisine: fish and chips. His film for the Biennial documents the fictional first encounter between the dish's constituents and shows a potato embarking on an underwater tour of Liverpool. With the octopus, Shimabuku introduced the sea to the land; now it is time for the land to meet the sea. This seemingly absurd encounter ultimately encourages a questioning of the mundane elements of quotidian life.

Laurence Sillars