Once colourless carps, koi’s systematic colour breeding began in Japan during the 1820s. Bred over a century to create exquisite colour combinations, koi became popular outside Japan from 1914. And today, koi ponds are used broadly as decorative living visual entertainment and collecting koi has become a social hobby worldwide, where higher-quality fish are available from specialist dealers.

In her new work, koi pond without the manual (2020), Eda Sarman facilitates the collection of koi, creating an especially designed decorative pond, comprising a 100 square combination that mimics the infinite colour possibilities within koi breeding. The work reflects humankind's need to control nature to a clinical extent, that results in artificial natural environments to suit our decorative taste.

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