Untitled

by Cinzah Merkens, Jason Botkin

Napier, NZ – March 2016

Artists

Finding This Mural

On the seaside wall of the National Aquarium of New Zealand

546 Marine Parade, Napier South, Napier 4110, New Zealand

Google Map

Story Behind This Mural

Artist Statement

This 300' (130m long) collaboration explores significant Māori and global nautical mythologies, featuring the entangled bodies of a longfin eel (the largest and the only endemic freshwater eel species of New Zealand that is threatened), and an octopus covered in the face markings of traditional Māori Tā Moko (tattoo). Also featured are guest appearances from various birds and aquatic life that have long been a food source for the people of these islands, which are now facing dramatically lowered regional populations. The mural also addresses the importance of Marine Protected Areas for maintaining the vital interrelationships between species and habitats.