Six Creative Voices from Japan

Satoshi Ito

Reinterpreting psychedelic and folk-inspired imagery

Drawing on psychedelic culture, Japanese imagery, tribal motifs, ritual objects and folk beliefs, Satoshi Ito develops his own interpretations through live painting, screen printing and exhibitions.

Born in 1991 and based in Kanagawa, Japan, Ito brings together paint, effects and analogue printing techniques. His guiding principle is to invest each work with intention, combining different influences while exploring possibilities beyond a single category.

Kinari

Screen printing rooted in gratitude, nature and harmony

Kinari creates screen-printed works inspired by Shinto, Japanese understandings of nature, seasonal traditions and gratitude to ancestors. A desire to reconnect with what the artist describes as cultural memory is a starting point for bringing inherited values into contemporary expression.

Central to this approach is the Shinto idea of myriad kami: sacred presences found in mountains, rivers, living beings, objects and natural phenomena. Rather than seeking to control nature, Kinari’s practice reflects an attitude of gratitude for its protection and gifts.

Consideration for others, mutual support and harmony are equally important themes. Through the work, Kinari hopes to encourage reflection on values that can be overlooked in the pursuit of efficiency and convenience, creating an opportunity to consider one’s inner life and spirituality.

STASCM

Finding balance between opposing forces

Based in the Tokyo metropolitan area, STASCM works as an artist, designer and sculptural maker. Glamour and untidiness, order and chaos, strength and delicacy: the practice explores how opposing qualities can be brought into balance to reveal new forms of beauty.

STASCM handles the process from concept, design and planning through fabrication, painting and finishing. Materials range from garage kits, resin and fibre-reinforced plastic to iron, wood, natural and synthetic fibres, and leather. Dyeing, sewing, sculpting, illustration and painting become interconnected ways of building a work.

Work on tokusatsu productions, including both art-department and costume work, feeds practical knowledge of tools, techniques and construction back into this independent practice. Collecting American and science-fiction toys, and studying the structure, texture and construction of well-made clothing, are also part of this continuing exploration.

For STASCM, making means tuning the countless possibilities that emerge through materials, techniques and encounters with people—and giving form to ideas that can only be reached by continuing to create.

TENKI

Where music, imaginative worlds and local culture meet

Based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, TENKI is a member of the SENDAI CITY BEATDOWN band DIKTATOR. With a style grounded in stippling, his practice draws on hardcore music, tokusatsu, toy culture, graffiti and local traditions.

From drawing to screen printing and sculpture, TENKI moves freely between forms of expression. These different approaches reflect an open-ended creative sensibility, shaped by the music and cultures that surround him.

NO MAD NUMSKULL

RAFFISH DOG

A meeting place for clothing, art and people in Sendai

RAFFISH DOG is a select shop in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, bringing together Japanese and international clothing labels. Its selection includes one-of-a-kind pieces and items shaped by a range of creative cultures, in a space where clothing and art meet.

The shop also hosts occasional artist exhibitions and workshops, with a particular focus on screen printing. These activities support its aim of becoming a place for local exchange and unexpected encounters.

Choosing a garment, looking at an artwork or trying a creative process can all become the beginning of a connection. This joint presentation brings that spirit together with the individual practices of the participating artists.