"Breathing" Drawing

I am a Japanese artist based in Tokyo. I lived and worked in Barcelona from 2008 to 2024, and the experience of observing and drawing the city became central to my artistic practice.

My cityscapes are created entirely on location rather than from photographs. I am interested not only in recording what a place looks like, but also in preserving the atmosphere of a particular moment: the air, temperature, light, shadows, smells, and sounds. Standing within the scene allows me to choose my own frame and perspective while responding directly to what is happening around me.

I draw directly from life with permanent markers on paper, without making a preliminary sketch. Every line is final, so each stroke records both what I saw and the movement of my hand at that moment. In many works, I then add colour and depth with coloured pencils. The slight irregularities that arise through this process are an essential part of the finished drawing.

I also create landscapes and figurative works on an iPad, which allows me to respond quickly to fleeting changes in light and colour. As these works originate digitally, they are presented as art prints rather than unique works on paper.

In 2012, I began a project I call Everyday I draw Barcelona. It started as a daily visual diary and developed primarily between 2013 and 2016, with further drawings made until 2024. Over the course of the project, I created more than 1,300 drawings throughout Barcelona. Rather than concentrating on well-known landmarks, I was often drawn to ordinary street corners and spaces where the rhythms of local life could be felt. More than 100 original Barcelona drawings have been acquired by private collectors.

After returning to Tokyo, I began exploring a different form of physical presence in my work. Alongside my drawings on paper, I am now developing acrylic paintings on plywood panels measuring approximately 60 × 90 cm. Working indoors and on a larger surface allows me to expand my subject matter and explore new relationships between line, colour, material, and scale.

In 2023, I contributed illustrations to 2048×100=Barcelona: Cent veus per al futur d’una ciutat, published by Associació Antic Gremi Revenedors, 1447. In 2024, I was commissioned by the City of Barcelona to create an artwork commemorating FC Barcelona Femení’s UEFA Women’s Champions League victory.