IKIGAI

SUMMER EXHIBITION IN GINZA, TOKYO, JAPAN

June 2019

A pop-up exhibition in Tokyo showcasing artworks from D*Face, ONEQ, Martin Whatson, Hua Tunan, Cloakwork and prints by Banksy. The ephemeral exhibition was on on display from the 21st of June through the 29th of June. “IKIGAI” will present a new series of work by several artists, major names in the international street art scene, some of them to be shown for the first time in Japan.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being.”

The word “Ikigai” is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile. The word translated to English roughly means “thing that you live for” or “the reason for which you wake up in the morning.” Each individual’s ikigai is personal to them and specific to their lives, values and beliefs.

“IKIGAI” is curated by Rom Levy and supported by Gypsy Eyes Tokyo. Each artists has been asked to create or submit works based on IKIGAI and develop their own interpretation of this unique Japanese Philosophy.

The exhibition brought together the work of artists whose work and practices embrace multiple facets of Street and Urban Art. A group of voices that call to question the history of IKIGAI, the process of thinking and behaving, and offering a presage of perhaps a new way forward