"Blocks" Artwork

Shinjiro Tanaka (b. 1985, Los Angeles) is a Tokyo-based artist working internationally. ​ After graduating from Keio University with a degree in economics, he began his career at Dentsu, Japan’s largest advertising agency, in the newspaper advertising division.

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Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, he reexamined his path and chose to leave his established corporate career. In 2012, he moved to New York and began pursuing art from the ground up, developing his practice over five years within a diverse cultural environment. ​



In New York, he studied at Parsons School of Design while working as a street dancer and as a production assistant for Broadway productions. He also founded the apparel label “BSWK” in Brooklyn, gaining experience across both commercial production and street culture. ​



As a neurodivergent individual with ASD and ADHD, his experience navigating social and institutional structures has shaped a perspective that exists both inside and outside of them. This sensibility connects to his ongoing exploration of “Hazama” — the in-between. ​



After returning to Japan, he joined TokyoDex, an art agency connecting artists with corporations and public spaces, where he worked on large-scale mural projects. In 2019, he won Art Battle Tokyo, a live painting competition, and became an independent artist. ​



His recent work includes murals for Caption by Hyatt Kabutocho Tokyo and POD Hotel Brooklyn, collaborative projects with schools and local communities, post-disaster art initiatives, and collaborations with CHUMS.



He has also led large-scale art direction projects with members of Sakurazaka46 and Nogizaka46 (major Japanese pop groups). His practice moves fluidly across fine art, public space, and popular culture. ​ His work is multimedia and interdisciplinary, moving across analog and digital, everyday and non-everyday, and micro and macro perspectives.



Using minimal motifs such as dots and lines, he explores their open-ended potential and creates a sense of unity within his work. ​ Influenced by his background in street dance, rhythm and movement are embedded in both his compositions and spatial works. His practice spans painting, murals, video, installation, fashion, and event-based projects.

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He has presented his work internationally, including multiple solo exhibitions in Tokyo and New York.