Thousands of goldfish bring giant art installation in Tokyo 'to life'

By Reuters July 10, 2017 | 02:31 am PT

Goldfish swim in illuminated tanks at the Art Aquarium exhibition in Tokyo, Japan July 6, 2017. About 5,000 goldfish and 3,000 tropical fish are displayed in 130 uniquely shaped tanks. This unique art form uses fish along with LED lights, projection mapping and music in a show produced by Japanese Art Aquarium artist Hidetomo Kimura. Photo by Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

An exhibition in Tokyo uses 8,000 fish and other sea creatures to create an underwater illusion.

A Japanese artist has used thousands of fish in illuminated tanks to create a sprawling psychedelic visual art installation, drawing tens of thousands of viewers in Tokyo.

Hidetomo Kimura's traveling 'Art Aquarium' exhibition puts on display around 5,000 goldfish and 3,000 other maritime creatures, such as seahorses, in 130 LED-lit tanks of various shapes, colours and sizes.

The LED displays provide a colourful variety of moving images, such as one of sakura blossoms falling serenely from the sky, to the accompaniment of music.

"I wanted to create an artistic installation which is alive by using real fish, rather than materials or pictures," Kimura said on the sidelines of the exhibition.

Kimura creates similar installations several times a year to show all over Japan. This year's 'Art Aquarium', which marks a decade since Kimura's first such display, is also set to show in the western city of Kyoto in the fall.

This year's exhibition features hundreds of varieties of goldfish, including several cross-bred species. The fish swim in bubbling fishbowls made of magnifying glass, draped with lace or shaped like Japanese lanterns, among others.

One of the new works this year, in which Black Moor goldfish swirl about as their shadows are projected onto a white LED screen, creates an illusion of a Japanese ink-and-wash painting.

The exhibition is on show at the Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall till Sept 24.