TAKEDA Kimpachi
Born: 17 March 1877 – Died: 17 January 1945
Particulars:
Kimpachi was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. He was a single man working as a farmer in Nouméa, Kanaky / New Caledonia when the Pacific War broke out. He was taken to Australia and was first interned at Hay Internment Camp in New South Wales, then transferred to Loveday Internment Camp in South Australia when a camp reorganisation took place. He died aged 67 from a kidney infection. His grave is in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Mayu Kanamori
More info:
Michelle Belgiorno
Artist/s Statement:
In the late 19th century, around 1,000 Japanese went to New Caledonia, contracted to work in the nickel mines which were experiencing an increase in demand for their output. Some workers returned to Japan, and some stayed on, settling into island life. After France fell to the Nazis in 1940 and the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, it became important to the Allies that New Caledonia remain on the Allied side. With the support of the New Caledonian government, Japanese ‘enemy aliens’ living there were captured and transported to the internment camps in Australia for the duration of the war.
My paintings evoke the lives of three men born in Kyushu and living in New Caledonia, who were swept up unwillingly in the waves of war and human history. All three suffered poor health and died in Australia, perhaps caused by the stress and shame associated with their circumstances. Each image includes the individual’s name, profession, place of origin, and a spiritual symbol acknowledging their memory.
Kimpachi is represented holding a plate of sweet potatoes and with an eternal flame burning in his memory.
Artist Bio:
Michelle Belgiorno is a Sydney based artist working across various media including painting, sculpture, and collaborative fabric-based installations. A long term interest as an artist is the culture of Japan, drawing on a 50-year engagement with Japanese language, society, and aesthetics. She has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows and is represented by Art Atrium Gallery. Her work is held by the Australian War Memorial, the Cowra Regional Art Gallery and in several private collections. Michelle is Chair of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, which supports individual artists and arts institutions.