Masato Takasaka

Jaye Early

Artist Statement
Masato is friend of mine. We used to teach together in the Critical and Theoretical Studies Department at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. Until recently, I haven’t had the courage to paint Masato, as I’ve never felt confident enough to capture his unique character.

Masato is a kind person with a tender disposition. I enjoy his intelligent and developed sense of the absurd and his skilful ability to go beyond sarcasm and pure disdain. I’m not entirely convinced I have succeeded in capturing this, but I’m glad that I gave it a go.

About the Subject
Masato Takasaka is a Japanese Australian artist and academic based in Melbourne. Working with a diverse array of found objects and materials, his installations form boisterous spaces where art and design interact together to create multiple, nuanced, levels of chaos and control—not entirely unlike Masato himself.

Further Insight
Jaye Early is an Adelaide-based artist who works with live and video-based performance and painting. Early has participated in 7 solo exhibitions and 35 group exhibitions including in Australia, Italy, USA, and Denmark. His work is an investigation of what is deemed permissible within public spaces and social spheres.

Early has been a finalist in a number of prestigious art prizes including the Sulman Prize, Victorian Indigenous Art Awards, Darebin Art Prize, and Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize. Early has been acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and Victoria University, Melbourne.

Medium: Synthetic polymer paint and permanent marker on canvas

Size: 140 cm x 140 cm

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