Fish and chips 2024

Summary

This ceramic artwork of fish and chips was made by Kenny Pittock for the 2025 City Gallery exhibition 'The Dirty Dozen'. Curated by award-winning food writer and author Richard Cornish, the exhibition delved into the sometimes-dark, often-uplifting stories behind street food, produce markets and the dining habits of the 19th-century elite. The twelve ceramic artworks produced by Pittock bring to life 12 quintessential Melbourne street foods. All look good enough to eat.

"Fried-fish shops depended on access to a cheap and reliable seafood supply. Fishers lived on the banks of the Yarra at Fishermans Bend, with some still fishing commercially from Port Melbourne as recently as 10 years ago. The shops cooked local fish species such as barracouta, a delicious but notoriously bony fish that is sweet and succulent, especially when deep-fried in batter. Fast barracouta boats were specially designed to bring in the catch from Port Phillip Bay to the city markets as quickly as possible. As ’couta numbers diminished, fishers targeted less bony species such as shark, which was sold as flake." - Richard Cornish, 'The Dirty Dozen' exhibition catalogue