Katie Tomlinson’s Guardian of the Current is an oil and silver leaf painting. The painting features a headless woman cradling a barracuda like a baby, evoking the symbolic role of nymphs as guardians of nature and life. However, being outside of water the fish is dying, creating a paradox. The barracuda howls at the moon like a werewolf, referencing fertility and menstrual cycles, while also alluding to fishermen’s stereotypical display of fish as trophies on dating apps, creating a comedic and grotesque scene.

The use of silver leaf is both aesthetic and symbolic. It is a reference to barracudas which are attracted to shiny objects – divers get attacked because their jewellery resembles fish scales. The title of the painting, Guardian of the Current, plays on both the water current and the shifting of contemporary beauty standards.