MATSUMOTO Kumataro
Born: 8 April 1869 – Died: 12 March 1942
Particulars:
Kumataro was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. He arrived in Australia in 1894 and never returned to Japan. He first lived and worked at Victoria Mill near Ingham in Queensland, but moved to Silkwood in far north Queensland, where he spent 40 years. He was living in El Arish as a gardener when the Pacific War broke out. When he was arrested, he handed over in cash 1 pound 15 shillings to the authorities in Meanjin / Brisbane. He also had one portmanteau or travel bag and two parcels. He was sent to New South Wales and was interned at Hay Internment Camp. A couple of months later, he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and died on the same day. He was 72 years old. His grave is in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Mayu Kanamori
More info:
Christopher Bentley
Artist/s Statement:
For 50 years, Kumataro Matsumoto lived in Queensland, Australia but when war broke out, he was no longer seen as a gardener or a resident, only as an ‘enemy alien’. My artwork contemplates the plants and gardens he may have nurtured – were they filled with native Australian flora, invasive species, or those of his homeland? Did he see in this mix a quiet act of adaptation, a bridge between two worlds? Or was it a reminder of dislocation? The stamp, derived from a coroner’s report from Hay Interment Camp, reflects the bureaucratic indifference that marked his passing, reducing him to a file number rather than a man who cultivated life. In the interplay of plants and paper, I seek to honour the richness of a life that records didn’t capture.
Artist Bio:
Christopher Bentley is a digital artist based in Ipswich in Queensland, Australia with a focus on digital preservation, obsolescence, the decay of information, and how to keep it safely for a long time. Christopher’s journey in digital preservation stems from a deep seated curiosity about the intersection of technology and memory. Through his work, he seeks to bridge the gaps between past, present, and future; advocating for the importance of preserving our digital legacy and finding new ways to work with obsolete tools and limitations.