Japan

Japan is a country that traditionally values clean, orderly spaces. Consequently, graffiti and street art are generally seen as a form of vandalism in Japan -a crime that can land perpetrators up to 5 years in jail. Despite this, street artists are finding ways to practice their craft and bring color to Japan’s cities. Japanese street art displays an undercurrent of community, collaboration and expression not normally found in the country’s public spaces.

Shinya Nishikata

Untitled

Sakura Tei Restaurant, Tokyo, Japan

2017

This famous mural adorns the side of the Sakura Tei Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. The restaurant, along with an art gallery and a bar/café, make up the Design Festa Art Village. The three businesses present a theme of collaboration and codependence, a community that relies on each other to draw in customers and promote expression through art. Shinya Nishikata’s loud mural exemplifies this togetherness, representing all three businesses in the work.

Yuji Oda

Koenji Mural City Project #3

Koenji, Tokyo, Japan

May 2017

This work, by Yuji Oda, is a part of the Mural City Project Koenji, an initiative to turn Koenji into a community of artists – "a city of art in Tokyo.” Oda’s work is inspired by the process used to create woodblock prints, a traditional Japanese medium of art. Bright colors and sliding lines present a cheery scene of Mt. Fuji rising above a peaceful landscape. This is one of 8 other works created for the project.

Tamura Yoshiyasu

Untitled

Tennozu Isle, Tokyo, Japan

October, 2015

This piece was one of several created for Pow Wow Japan, an event bringing foreign and domestic artists to an industrial district of Tokyo. Several large murals and pieces of street art brought color to what would otherwise be drab warehouses. The event was created to promote collaboration and allow artists to show their creative process. This work combines a traditional Japanese art style with bright, flashy colors to draw onlooker's attention.

Curator: Jeremy Hoheneder

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