The sabukaru Guide To The 17 Young Artists Revolutionizing Tokyo’s Art Scene
Tokyo is often seen by the rest of the world as a nearly-extraterrestrial city, thanks to its biome of peculiar subcultures and its insanely dense population.
The Japanese capital has a specific charm to it: at times off and quirky but cleanly minimalist, traditional but contemporary, the communities it houses create an off-beat but trendsetting culture.
This is all thanks to the creative generations that aren’t afraid to go off the beaten path. Whether they may be linked to the music scene, high fashion, or streetwear circles, each of these artists is a pioneer of their own genre and is setting the tone for Tokyo’s upcoming generation of contemporary artists.
The digital era offers plenty of new outlets for self-expression, and traditional mediums are revamped to echo the visions of these next legends.
sabukaru created a guide for the 17 young new artists making waves in the underground art scene of this city. Innovative, energetic, and determined, each of these artists is essential to the creative community of Tokyo. Starting conversations about elitism, feminism, queerness, and culture, this group of youths is sure to make an explosive impact on the future of Japan’s art scene.
Iris Sakai
Iris Sakai [@irissakai] is a Tokyo-based artist of multiple talents: a prolific piano player, he has his hands on the synth in his electronic band Frog 3, with members none other than the mangaka Jun Inagawa [@madmagicorchestra] and Obabita [@obabita_]. However, the 1999-born artist is equally as talented when it comes to oils on canvas. Stemming from geniuses like Salvador Dali and René Magritte, Sakai does not fall short of surrealist and thought-provoking art.
His paintings play with perspective, in an especially sentimental way. Layering feelings of longing and belonging, Sakai creates bold pieces, heavy with existentialism. Streetwear, music, nature, and the human experience are themes that build his foundation, but hoodies are absolute emblems of Iris Sakai’s artistry. Contemporary details don’t slip out of his vision, and colors are put on their proper pedestal. His talent was noticed early in his career and he was one of the participants in Parco Shibuya’s annual art event, P.O.N.D., in 2022.
Kota Kawai
Dining chairs, waiting room chairs, seats on the bus, and coffee-stained couches: sitting is such an omnipresent part of daily life, but rarely do these pieces of furniture get attention. Kota Kawai [@_kotakawai], a Bunka Fashion College graduate, reinvents the chair as an accessory for individualism.
His passion for fashion and textiles seeps out of his architectural creations. Puffer jackets and knits are molded into a new purpose, and beyond his art chairs, Kowai creates cushions, hats, and various fashion items. But his mismatched patchwork-like creations of garment-chairs spark a conversation about sustainability, design, and, naturally, comfort. He’s easily one of the best sculptors in the young art scene of Tokyo, so keep your eyes peeled for his future projects and collaborations.
Harune
Like intricate webs of ferns, nature morte, and heartbeats, Harune [@haruneh] creates whimsical and fantastical pieces. Painting intricate patterns or forest creatures on garments or birthing drawings that resemble witchy embroideries, she’s far from the blocky and daring art Tokyo fosters at its forefront.
Harune has always been fond of art and has translated her artistic visions into dresses, prints, album covers, and more. Each of her creations is like a labyrinth full of mysteries and meaning, stained in cream, burgundy, brown, and other earthy colors, intimately threading with nature. Her subjects are portrayed in a mystique, divine form, as if out of our realm. Harune also experiments with clothes, sewing, and painting her visions to create unique and dainty pieces.
Victor Takeru
Domesticity and languor are recurring in Victor Takeru’s [@victortakeru] oeuvres. Laying acrylic on canvas, he brings to life quiet yet busy seconds. Friends and family, framed in stillness, live eternally in introspection, frozen in mundanity, which is undoubtedly pleasant as the viewer feels out the mellow moments of the artist’s life.
Born and raised in Paris, Victor Takeru moved to Tokyo in 2019 to push his artistic career. Geometric and textured, he plays with contrasts and shadows, simultaneously creating a flat yet rich image. What’s striking about his pieces is the subtle vulnerability inserted in the realism, which is a little like the effects of Edward Hopper’s most known pieces in a contemporary context. His character, Takecat, lives within every canvas, symbolic of the French-Japanese artist’s love for cats.
Coin Parking Delivery
A catchy name for an even catchier artist: Coin Parking Delivery [@coinparkingdelivery_art] is one of the emblems of Tokyo’s contemporary art scene. Merging pop art with the digital era’s principal elements, Coin Parking Delivery’s artistry is a charismatic, energetic, and vivid representation of pop culture and illustration.
Just by looking at his creative works, one can fish out Sesame Street, Disney, Kaws, and the Superflat movement simultaneously. Coin Parking Delivery’s character is a sky-blue anthropomorphic comical creature, inspiring cuteness, and boyishness. The bubblegum-esque character is a signature of the artist. Beyond collaborations with huge brands like Adidas and Ralph Lauren, his murals are a sight to see: youthful and innovative, Coin Parking Delivery successfully welds graffiti culture with fine art, creating a subculture that is accessible and protected.
Ohiana
Dangerously abstract and hauntingly misplaced, the grotesque collages of Ohiana [@ohiana_summerangel] strike a chord in the hearts of lonely people. The American Dream is flipped into a bestial, undead concept in which trippy decals pervade.
The Tokyo-born artist went on to study animation while studying art at university, and that’s where he found his love for creepy surrealist art. Neon but washed out, Ohiana’s pieces are full of contradiction: sexuality without the appeal, family without the ties, and an ever-present ominous visual buzz from the layered overwhelm. It’s as if the art film Gummo was condensed through AI and spat out as a 2D oeuvre. Ohiana also has a clothing brand called A.C.C., short for Anal Community Center.
Risa Niwano
Risa Niwano [@niwano_illust] is undoubtedly your next favorite artist. Youthful, poetic, and melancholic, this digital artist mixes intoxicating visuals with feminism, bold colors, and a subtle contemporary aura.
Edgy, dark, and occasionally flirty, Niwano’s illustrations are trippy and experimental. Though she is a wonderful artist, Niwano stays away from the spotlight. Born in 1995, in Saitama, she began her career as a freelance illustrator in 2021 and has been very successful since. Putting an emphasis on femininity and its spectrum of expression, the moody drawings of Niwano challenge our perception of our reality and emotions. Pushing out influences from vintage American comics, the Superlfat movement, manga, and anime, as well as photography. With the help of her iPad, Risa Niwano creates jaw-dropping illustrations, each encapturing a complex story within its colors and details.
YAMEPI
YAMEPI’s [@yamepi_01] art is eye-catching, to say the least; his illustrations invoke the roots of punk, as well as contemporary skate culture. What’s most striking about his pieces is the fashion, which he carefully selects to give life to his characters. Dressed in New York Yankees caps, tracksuits, oversize hoodies, and chunky sneakers, his characters symbolize well the current fashion movement among Tokyo’s youth. Adorned in colorful nail polish and rock star-like tattoos, hiding in clumsy stars on top of it all seems to be YAMEPI’s final touch to a drawing.
The Tokyo-based artist has stated that one of his inspirations is the manga and the anime movie Tekkonkinkreet, which bears some resemblance to his pieces, mostly when it comes to depicting youth, rebellion, and the laid-back, “anything goes” kind of attitude that emanates from his art. Cigarettes, boxing gloves, pistols, and earphones are part of YAMEPI’s artistic recipe.
Niko Wu
Niko Wu [@nikoful] is not just your regular photographer, but a creative with a vision surpassing the realities of our world. Beautifully orchestrated scenes are frozen forever, creating scenes where cultures and eras collide to melt into a nectar. Not only that, but Wu also upcycles and creates accessories, such as handbags and shoes.
Wu is an artist with multiple talents. Creative direction does not slip out of her grasp, as she sparks conversation about feminism and gendered standards, all while enrapturing the viewer into her photographs. Self-expression is stripped and reborn through the lens of Niko Wu, and her authenticity is unquestionable. Innovative, fresh, yet sentimental, Tokyo can only be proud to home such a well-rounded artist.
Exit Number Five
The artist Exit Number Five [@exitnumberfive] is the newest addition to Tokyo’s jungle of art and culture. A budding talent, Exit Number Five [ENF] offers a refreshing perspective on vulnerability, queerness, and identity. Simultaneously indulging in sad-girl culture, 2000s pop, and 90s punk, his art is a subtly provocative arrangement of doodles and words. Wallowing in self-reflection, ENF’s art is simple yet complex, but definitely easy to get hooked on.
Her art is distinguished by a cute, pillowy character, which also happens to represent the artist. This nameless character symbolizes the entirety of what ENF is and can be found in almost every piece done. In particular, she talks about navigating society as a non-binary person and the significance of gender presentation versus gender identity. But it truly is his static, handwritten poetry that stands out the most, giving an entirely new meaning to art and Tokyo’s influence.
Azusa Iida
Glancing at her art, it’s easy to understand that Azusa Iida [@azusa_iida] is a metropolitan symbol. Bright and witty, Iida’s artworks are delicate conversations about modern womanhood over a velvety background of high fashion, beauty, and personality.
Expressing state-of-the-art standard femininity without overdressing the topic is a craft that Iida masters: homey moments are captured in an arrangement of primary colors, as well as an undertone for racial diversity which often lacks in the Tokyo art scene. If Vogue magazine had a dedicated artist, it would be her, thanks to her exquisite taste and vast knowledge of patterns, cuts, and textiles. Iida has even created custom sneakers for an exhibition. These characters portray unique psyches, reflecting Iida as much as they mirror classic elegance and style.
WIK MWF
CGI has never been this good, and it’s an art that’s in tight competition with artificial intelligence, though no amount of programming can surpass human creativity, especially for artists like WIK MWF [@whoiskosuke]. Sympathetic yet jaw-droppingly intricate, WIK’s work sucks us into a high-fashion GTA-esque universe.
Having worked on 3D album covers and animation for artists like Chito and Only U as well as brands like Fake As Flowers and BlackEyePatch, WIK is undoubtedly a coveted collaborator. Bringing to life graffiti-covered cities, cluttered bedrooms, and streetwear, his CGI art is a narrative on contemporary manhood in the creative circles of Tokyo with a touch of lightheartedness and realism.
Ibuki
The term “muse” shouldn’t be used lightly, but Ibuki Sakai definitely deserves the label. She’s best known as a model for her multimedia collages, stickers, and zine collaborations with brands like atmos pink and X-GIRL. Most notably, her collaboration with the legendary brand HYSTERIC GLAMOUR started by Nobuhiko Kitamura, resulted in now-iconic collaborative merch [think plush toys and t-shirts] and an exhibition celebrating their shared pop-culture fascinations.
It’s clear she inhabits her own nostalgia-tinged realm, transporting you to a place where the ordinary turns into something beautifully vulnerable- like a diary or an early adolescent memory. Ibuki’s work is rare and there’s something about it that sticks with you. Flipping through her zines and collages feels like a secret between the viewer and her, a peek into Ibuki’s daily life and obsessions viewed through saturated colors of film photos, stickers, and collages.
Softworks [Yosuke Kubota]
Softworks [@yosuke_kubota] is velvety, plush, and fuzzy if you haven’t got that out yet. Yosuke Kubota, who works as Softworks, paints, designs, and sews. If you’re also thinking soft power, Kubota is keen: he has a huge collection of sculptural plush toys which is particularly loved by Tokyo’s young streetwear community, and, notably, has been commissioned by Japanese design mogul Verdy.
His pieces are of boyish nature, vividly linked to the playfulness and naivety of childhood while playing with elements of Tokyo’s fashion scene and pop culture. Revamping blankets by attaching stuffed toys, or piecing together his reptilian mascot BIGHEADS, the cute meets the cool, only keeping a faint taste of immaturity which translates into humor. Softworks’ canvases, painted on with acrylics and a pronounced hand, are just as animated. Kubota is known to have worked with AFB and Tokyo Vitamin, too.
Guccimaze [Yuta Kawaguchi]
The best-known graphic designer is definitely Guccimaze [@guccimaze]. He’s one of the top leading artists in the contemporary art scene in Tokyo, setting the tone for the future of design and logos. Guccimaze’s artistry has also landed him jobs with Post Malone, Nicki Minaj, Fetty Wap, and other big names.
Yuta Kawaguchi was born in 1989 in Kanagawa and is currently an essential part of the active music and streetwear scene in Tokyo. Chrome, 3D, and swiftly cyber would accurately describe his signature style. Bringing reflective metals into their sharpest digital form, Guccimaze is the maestro of fonts and color schemes. He’s heavily inspired by graffiti, transposing this gritty typography into surreal cyber forms. Guccimaze is the epitome of trendsetter and futuristic, as his designs never cease to steer contemporary culture through his vision and talent.
Zero Point Energy [Sakura]
Pret-a-porter has never been so glitzy and otherworldly: Zero Point Energy [@zero__point__energy] creates wearable accessories that double as art. Not only that but jaw-dropping installations reminiscing of Lain’s nightmarish world from the anime of the same title, Zero Point Energy transports you into a glowy cyberpunk world.
Sakura, who files her work under Zero Point Energy, is very close to Tokyo’s underground world of techno music, raves, and youth fashion. Her creations weld a bridge between impossibly alluring high fashion props to pure and raw self-expression. Crystals and otherworldly exoskeletons drip in pastels and metallics, like surreal creatures that ooze and float, frozen in time. Her creations are available at Mineral [@mineral_osaka].
Jun Inagawa
If you’re thinking about Tokyo’s fascinating young party scene and the historical whirlwind of manga culture, it’s hard to bridge these two scenes, but one artist does it exceptionally well: Jun Inagawa [@madmagicorchestra]. The prodigious 23-year-old artist managed to merge these two, as he is currently working on his upcoming anime titled “Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers”, a shoujo-fighter type anime distinct by its red color palette and striking graphics, as well as being one of the hottest upcoming DJs of Tokyo and LA.
His previous collaborations with brands such as NEIGHBORHOOD and Vlone caught the eye of fans globally but, out of the circles of fashion, Inagawa is the rebirth of manga art, exploring the noughties and fantasy at the same time.
