Masako Gordon

In her early twenties Masako Gordon left Japan for the UK, a country of her long-term akogare. Based in London, she travelled widely in Europe, painting in each city she visited. Arriving in Australia in 1977, Masako fell in love with Australia, which was much more casual and easy-going than England, but she soon became aware of the negative perception of the Japanese held by some Australians. As a way into Australian society, she began working as a tour-guide and experienced both the Japanese tourism boom in the 1980s and its decline from the late 1990s onwards. Although she has always been a passionate artist, it was not until recently that she resumed her artistic work full time.In this interview, Masako tells us about her identity as Australian, her passion for art and her philosophy of life – “don’t wait for anything – if you want to do something, do it now”.

今回Japanese on the Moveに登場するのはモスマン在住のゴードン・まさこさん。かねて憧れていたイギリスに単身で飛び立ったのは２０代の頃。ロンドンを拠点に南ヨーロッパを旅して回り、訪れた街で絵を描き続けた。70年代後半に初来豪。到着当時は「とてもカジュ アルな国」と好印象を持った一方、オーストラリア社会が持つ日本人に対しての偏見もまだ強く残っていたという。新しい国に馴染む為、ツアーガイドの仕事についたゴードンさんは80年代から90年代にかけてのオーストラリア旅行ブームを支えた。美術大卒のゴードンさんは常にアートに情熱を持っていたものの、フルタイムで 描き始めたのはごく最近。このインタビューではご自身のアイデンティティーと人生観についてお話して頂いた。