Last Saturday (10 October 2026) notably marks the 50th anniversary of the grim and unfortunate passing of Hozumi Momota; “a Japanese born taxi driver who was stabbed to death in a Sydney lane in October 1976 after staging a hunger strike on the steps of the Sydney GPO in Martin Place.”[1]
His name really needs no further introduction as this extraordinary artist and world traveller who explored life at grassroots level had already made headlines with a bang and gained growing recognition across the arts scene in Sydney and Australia as a whole.
Stopped, still at a young age, in his creative tracks, Hozumi Momota had demonstrated just to what extent he knew how to seize the day and how to live life fully, welcoming every opportunity to learn from others – across borders and cultural divides.
Through his adaptability, his positive mindset even if troubled by existential questions, his yearning for deeper knowledge and his absolutely captivating visual art that verged on the cinematic while he remained anchored in Japanese traditions, he showed a path forward and illuminated (keeps doing so) our conscience – his groundbreaking body of works timeless and forever relevant.
Ever-probing and never fully satisfied, Hozumi Momota boldly went his own way after leaving his home turf behind and embarked on a journey far away yet so close. [2] As he explored mental and physical territories, this fluid journey would mean everything: to him as a man who took it all in, to his contemporary audiences, and to those of us ready to watch, read, listen and learn.
From Japan to South-East Asia, to India, the Middle East, to Europe and eventually Sydney and Australia as the (literally) final destination, during his travels from the familiar to greater truths and beyond Hozumi Momota became increasingly concerned with human rights – and conundrums, for that matter. And he knew how to use his art to reach through.
He realised that, deprived of food and clean water, we become mere shadows of our former selves – a stark transformation for those who move from having to having not. Unable to function, how can the poor (but not poor in mind) realise their potential? The arts to show and enlighten, and the arts to turn the tide.
Hozumi Momota delved beneath the surface and while turning our thoughts to matters of the spirit, through his art he simultaneously declared a state of global emergency. His endeavours to spread the word about human suffering and the essentials that we all need to keep going physically and mentally prompted his highly publicised week-long fast in support of Freedom from Hunger where he worked on his personal and social ‘statement of all statements’ Man’s Conquest of Hunger and Misery – a large-scale painting created as an endurance-based performative piece [3] – and connected with people from near and afar. [4]
It would be his last symbolic appeal to our consciousness only weeks before his death; a feisty man and an artist on his way to even greater discoveries ripped of his life, but who had already made a difference.
Momentarily backtracking in order to paint the bigger picture with regard to his important Australian chapter, in London Momota had: “lived in Earls Court with Australians and worked in fast food outlets. In the USA he was all set to embark on training as a film director, when a crisis of meaning sent him back to Japan.
There he shut himself away for a year feverishly studying history, religion and philosophy, eventually emerging from his isolation full of determination to become a writer. He recorded his thought processes in a detailed series of journals and penned short stories of a philosophical, spiritual nature.”
By his early 30s Hozumi Momota was a name to be reckoned with and a poet and prophet alike using art to have a say and to spell it all out. In May 1973, he had begun drawing – and by August had embarked on the series of paintings Gods and Devils.
What followed was an extraordinary outpouring of creative energy. Over the next three and a half years – and significantly with his Australian wife Helen [5] by his creative side, the two met in Amanohashidate (Bridge of Heaven), Japan, as she was headed for a conference in Poland, fell in love and married within 3 weeks whereby their joint journey went in the southward direction [6]), Hozumi Momota produced more than 200 paintings and a further 200 drawings, working with intent, intensity and drive.
In October 1975, this period of activity culminated in his first solo exhibition at the Holdsworth Galleries in Woollahra, under the auspices of Gisella Scheinberg. [7] His second solo exhibition followed in May 1976 at Mosman Gallery, and in June he joined forces with New Zealand jeweller Elena Gee for Silver and Gold at the Old Bakery Gallery.
In parallel, his mural Chain of Life was exhibited at the Seymour Centre. In the midst of the artistic fervour, Momota was already looking ahead as he was preparing for an exhibition at East West Art in Melbourne. His creative momentum was at its peak. [8]
In this series of 16 paintings [9], Hozumi expressed the eternal struggle and conflict between good and evil as well as the search for spiritual fulfilment; as similarly expressed and reflected in these words from his journals (the only passage in English), and which paint their own imagery:
At a time when Japanese culture, values and traditions are gaining new ground in increasingly multicultural Australia whose history with Japan goes back a long way (trade relations began in the late 1800s [10] and there was an influx of Japanese in Australia at the end of the White Australia Policy [11]), the following promotional sentence sums up a great topical deal: “From bullet trains to cherry blossoms, and sake to hot springs, there’s so much to experience and the contrast of the ultra-modern with tradition really is something else.” [12]
With all due respect to infrastructure and culinary traditions, art reigns superior in its ability to intrinsically and elastically connect past and present and add a socio-political commentary. Hozumi Momota’s story provides a significant perspective on the history of Japanese influence on Australian art.
As Australia prepares to welcome the major Takashi Murakami exhibition When the Mountain Is high, the Moon Rises Higher, in December 2026, [13] Murakami’s story invites a broader look at the Japanese artists who have been shaping Australia’s cultural landscape for far longer than we might realise (including potters such as Shigeo Shiga).
Here, Hozumi Momota stands out as an artist who made it big in Australia locally and nationwide and who sustained this media presence for years. Acknowledged and celebrated for his rapid, public painting performances he maintained his grip on his audience also after his death, which received widespread media attention and coverage and triggered further creative sparks [14].
Art awards and festivals have since been established in his name; events pioneering in scale and format and that were among the earliest multimedia art awards; distinctive in prominently bringing art into a public setting right in the heart of Sydney. Hozumi Momota also appears to have been the first Japanese painter to exhibit with Sydney galleries, with exhibitions in 1975 and 1976, followed by a posthumous exhibition in Melbourne in 1979.
Considering the upcoming Australian focus on Murakami [15], it not only feels but IS timely and right to highlight the intriguing parallel between this talented commercially oriented contemporary artist and Hozumi Momota. A generation apart, the two artists defy traditional notions of painting as limited to the canvas and, rather, position the artist – and the act of artmaking itself – as a public spectacle; thus demonstrating the versatility of the artist and their capacity to reach new heights. [16]
Momota’s sustained media presence and the festivals and awards that emerged around his name anticipated, in a much different form, Murakami’s later fusion of painting with performance and popular culture (including anime, manga, and nihonga) and mass media. [17]
While Hozumi’s practice was importantly grounded in the immediacy of the live event and in the cultural exchange between Japan and Australia while he ventured further and was an artist in constant evolution, Murakami would later expand these intersections of art and popular culture into a sophisticated international practice.
In retrospect, Hozumi’s intense career and visions way ahead of his time are particularly revealing in light of Murakami’s subsequent dissolution of boundaries between high and popular art and culture and his reconfiguration of the artist’s role as curator, producer, and entrepreneur.
Hozumi Momota’s career and legacy most definitely provide a fascinating link between the early Japanese artistic presence in Australia and the generally greater visibility of Japanese contemporary art today. His lingering presence must be continuously recognised and celebrated – skills that cut across time and space.
By way of conclusion, importantly some questions to Helen Momota – who sheds light on her love:
What was Hozumi’s most enduring legacy in your view, and what do you see as his most significant influence on future artists?
“Hozumi’s art is a legacy of immense power. As a body of work created in just over three years it exudes passion and vitality, strength and intensity. He painted as he lived his life, full of zestful determination. After 50 years I still feel his dynamic personality and questing nature emanating from his work. His paintings and drawings encapsulate his striving for meaning and are complemented by volumes of journals in which he outlines his philosophical ideas. With regard to his further legacy, Hozumi had been keen to organize cultural events and that idea was carried on after his death, in mini festivals and the two grand events in Sydney Square that enlivened the art awards. The Hozumi Momota Foundation held the first Australia-Japan Festival and was believed to have inspired the later instigation of Japan Week.
Hozumi’s influence on future artists? I am sure that the art students and professional artists who participated in the art awards of 1978 and 1979 were influenced by the experience. The other day I was speaking with the winner of the professional artists award, Merilyn Fairskye, and she told me that her journey to Japan had established an important connection with that culture. She was represented in the Art Gallery of NSW for this year’s biennale.
Back in 1978, the participating art students considered the week working on public had been of greater value than the equivalent amount of time at college. As for artists from now on, how will they be influenced? To know that Hozumi was very critical of art that lacked depth and meaning. He came to see that art could be used for humanitarian action and to create active dialogue between artist and viewer. And he believed in living life to the full as if any day might be your last! Dive into the depths, express your ideas with vigour and confidence.”
What messages did he strive to convey through his art?
“To engage in the struggle between good and bad, aim to rise above the difficulties of life, work towards a higher version of yourself? These are possibilities, though I am sure that Hozumi would leave it to the viewer to come to their own conclusion. He was never one to spell everything out.”
Did you inspire each other in your artistic endeavours, or do you feel you were two artists going your own specific ways?
“When I was first with Hozumi I was exploring my creativity through pottery and other craft forms. I had just started experimenting with painting at the end of 1975 and had discovered gold paint – which I was proud to say inspired Hozumi’s gold series, a much gentler style than his previous strong works.
My own creativity was poured into inspiring other artists through the art awards and exhibitions of Hozumi’s work, and through festival organization. When I began my own art practice I was naturally inspired by Hozumi’s passion and use of colour, but I consider my style and emphasis very much my own, more childlike and hopefully more joyful!”
How did Hozumi manage to break away from family expectations of staying inside Japan? Did he respect Japanese traditions through his art created in Australia, and would you say this later art was a fusion of styles through which he connected East and West?
“It was a gradual process, starting from his involvement with the Experiment in International Living. An American student came to stay with the family – probably their first encounter with someone from outside Japan.” / … / “Hozumi was very interested in that fusion. ‘Eastern Wisdom and Western Vitality are both absolutely necessary for the New Man of the future’. Both were apparent in his earlier work, and whether he succeeded in drawing the two together through his gold series is open to discussion. Those paintings are certainly more universal in feeling – and more sensual!”
Is his work cinematic?
“Yes, indeed. It was bold, colourful, dramatic and exploring philosophical questions deeply. His art would look fantastic on the big screen. I did a little video experiment, and the paintings really come to life. And Hozumi was cinematic. He was a showman, a performance artist, finding ways to make an impact. [In an iconic image – by Fairfax Media] he was photographed at the top of the Herald building wearing a jute tunic and holding paint brushes. And then to fast in Martin Place for a whole week for Freedom from Hunger and perform by painting to draw attention to the cause.”
With immense gratitude to Helen Momota for her crucial insights and contribution.
Iconic Japanese artists that made a difference and shaped the Australian cultural landscape: Hozumi Momota – Artist – Prophet – Truth Sayer
Words: Dr Jytte Holmqvist
Images: Hozumi Momota in Martin Place, Sydney – photo by Ernie Marone (courtesy of and used with kind permission of Helen Momota) | Hozumi Momota, Man’s Conquest of Hunger and Misery – courtesy of Helen Momota | Hozumi Momota, Chain of Life Mural (supplied) | Extract From the Diaries of Hozumi Momota – courtesy of Helen Momota | Hozumi Momota, Metamorphosis (from Gold series, c. 1970s) – photo by Robert Walker, courtesy of Helen Momota | 2nd Hozumi Momota Art Award And Japanese Australian Festival Poster (supplied)
Footnotes:
[2] “As soon as Hozumi graduated from Meiji University he was off overseas, so unusual at the time that it made the news. Then he married an Australian, very quickly, I guess it was Hozumi’s quiet determination. His parents came to accept that he didn’t want to fit into the conventional mould and realised he would be happier living in Australia. As for tradition he was more deeply entrenched in Japanese tradition than many of his contemporaries. He studied Japanese history and religion, did tea ceremony and kendo and karate. He loved Japan.” (Helen Momota).
[3] www.trove.nla.gov.au See also www.momota-artworks.com
[4] Helen Momota importantly clarifies that “Man’s Conquest of Hunger and Misery was hopeful in the sense of being able to rise above life’s sufferings. His diary extract suggests ways to do that.”
[5] Helen Momota is a fascinating artist in her own right who produces otherworldly figurative paintings that speak their own truths. See: www.momota-artworks.com She lives with New Zealand architect Tony Watkins (www.tony-watkins.com) in magical Karaka Bay.
[6] Their story is a whole remarkable narrative onto itself that deserves to be written about at length.
[7] “Hozumi had exhibited in Sydney galleries, his first exhibition just two years after he started painting, in the biggest gallery at that time, the Holdsworth Galleries. But he also thought that art needed to be taken out of galleries into public spaces where people could interact with it.” / …/ “He could play the showman, but he also believed that it was important to make a statement of depth and meaning and for the good of humanity. These days many artists act as showmen through social media. I hope they can be more than shallow showmen.” (Helen Momota).
[8] Photo credits: Fairfax Media, Ernie Marone, Robert McFarlane, Helen Momota.
[9] In Hozumi’s own words, “[T]he chain symbolises man’s lack of freedom and his bondage to his countless desires. The intertwining of human figures depicts man’s interconnectedness, his dependence on others and on the ever-changing events around him. Most people are bound in the circle of life and its suffering – most find varying degrees or happiness within the circle, some strive to free themselves and evolve to a “higher” state of being. Through any number of paths such as self-discipline, a few may develop control over their desires and achieve an inner strength and confidence, arrive at ‘Satori’ and be able to reach down and help others out of the circle. With a clear and definite purpose, they are able to concentrate their energy on creation, and working towards human evolution.”
[13] www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au
[16] Helen Momota importantly notes that “Hozumi’s way of working in public had impact. It was novel in Sydney at that time and especially being for a worthwhile cause. It was his public performance that influenced the style of the art awards in Sydney Square in 1978, 79. As far as I know those two award events were the only week-long multimedia outdoor art awards in Sydney’s history.”
[17] Murakami is likewise toying with digital possibilities, having stated, with regard to the future, that “[s]imply put, discovery is the most important component of any artistic experience. It’s like Archimedes’ Eureka moment – the ability of an artwork to turn your brain upside down and rewire your thinking when you see it or learn the artist’s concept for it. Art will remain relevant as long as it can produce that experience.” www.timeout.com