For the exhibition Painters As Printmakers (19 October 2007 - 20 January 2008) this work appeared with this label:

Grondin à Otautahi (Gurnard at Christchurch) is from a series of lithographs by Alexis Hunter that celebrate kai moana. The expressive, spontaneous approach found in Hunter’s paintings has been beautifully translated in this work, with the artist appearing to revel in the freely applied brush work used in the gurnard and the loosely applied tusche washes which form a lively background. The collaboration between Hunter and Christchurch printmaker Marian Maguire has enabled the artist to fully explore and develop the painterly qualities inherent in the lithographic process.

Hunter graduated in painting from the Elam School of Fine Arts at Auckland University in 1970. Having moved to London in 1972 she became a leading figure of the neo-expressionist movement during the 1980s and gained a considerable international profile.