Tokyo Streets X is happening this weekend – here are some artists to look out for

Back for its fifth edition, Tokyo Streets X has become a prominent platform for both established creatives and emerging artists, creating an environment where different disciplines and perspectives can exist side by side.

Ahead of the exhibition, which began on Tuesday and is going on at WPÜ Gallery Shinjuku until Sunday June 28, we spoke with some of the participating artists about their work, how Tokyo has shaped their creative practice, and what visitors can expect from the show.

Lord K2

London-born visual artist and photographer Lord K2 has called Tokyo home for several years. His work often captures overlooked details and moments, but he says residing in Japan has shifted his focus beyond the image itself.

‘Living in Tokyo has made me much more aware of the importance of craftsmanship, presentation and refinement,’ he explains. The city’s meticulous attention to detail – from architecture and design to the way people approach their work – has encouraged him to think more carefully about how an artwork is finished and experienced.

Lord K2’s approach to photography has evolved from instinctive image-making to a more considered practice. While he was once motivated by the thrill of discovering new subjects and fleeting moments, he now places greater emphasis on the ideas and perspectives each photograph conveys.

‘I think carefully about why I am taking a photograph, what I want to communicate, and how I want to present it,’ says Lord K2. The result is work that aims not only to capture a visually engaging moment, but also to express a distinct perspective.

Chonmaru

Pursuing pattern-based compositions created entirely with straight and curved freehand lines, Chonmaru turns seemingly simple brush strokes into clean yet elaborate works. As a web designer turned hands-on painter/illustrator based in Tokyo, she regularly works on big projects like large-scale murals for shops and offices, while also hosting solo exhibitions.

While Chonmaru says the city doesn’t directly influence her artistic style, she credits Tokyo with providing the foundation that supports her creative activities. ‘It’s easy to access art materials and specialist knowledge [in Tokyo],’ she says, ‘and the gathering of diverse people and information gives rise to new encounters and opportunities.’

Chonmaru tells us that her artistic style has gone through a series of interconnected steps to get to where it is today. ‘In the early days of my career, my work was more illustration-oriented than it is now, but the turning point came when I drew a pattern on a whim while working on a particular commissioned piece.’ Within the simple rules and constraints she has set for herself, she continues to explore new creative possibilities.

Diego Branco

Creative director and illustrator Diego Branco is presenting his second-ever exhibition at this June’s Tokyo Streets X. Originally from São Paulo and based in Tokyo for nearly a decade, Branco draws inspiration from the countless observations he has accumulated while navigating life in Japan.

‘Living in Tokyo has taught me to pay attention,’ he says.

As a Tokyo transplant, Branco is fascinated by the details many locals might overlook, from signs on the wall, mascots on a package and fragments of conversations overheard on the trains, to the way the old coexists with the new.

‘I’m interested in the tension between tradition and everyday life, between history and convenience stores, between folklore and pop culture,’ he explains. ‘Tokyo is full of those collisions.’

Those everyday moments form the basis of his illustrations, which sit somewhere between observations and interpretation. Working across paper and digital formats, Branco sees drawing as a way of understanding the world around him.

Despite embracing digital tools for their convenience and forgivingness – they’re great when you mess up and have to fix – he still relies on analogue sketching to develop ideas. ‘Technology helps me finish ideas. Pen and paper help me find them,’ he says.

Branco’s relationship with drawing has also evolved significantly during the decade he’s been living in Tokyo. Having never attended art school, he spent years comparing himself to other artists before realising that art isn’t about competition. Instead, according to him, what matters is ‘bringing something only you can bring’.

‘Today I’m less interested in drawing things perfectly and more interested in drawing them honestly,’ he says. ‘The sketch isn’t the destination. It’s a way of paying attention.’

Alongside Lord K2, Chonmaru and Diego Branco, Tokyo Streets X features work from a diverse line-up of over 40 photographers, illustrators and visual artists – creatives that make up and continue to brighten Tokyo’s growing independent art scene.

The fifth edition of this multidisciplinary showcase offers a chance to experience the city’s creative community from the ground up in one convenient venue, showcasing artists whose practices are shaped by the streets, neighbourhoods and everyday observations that make Tokyo such a compelling place to create.

Tokyo Streets X is on now at WPÜ Gallery in Shinjuku until June 28.

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