pejac japan street art

“Everyone is an artist” (2015). Kawasaki City, Kanagawa

During the month of June, 2015 Spanish street artist Pejac was traveling through Asia installing whimsical, captivating and sometimes provocative street art. One of his destinations was Japan, where he stopped by Tokyo, but also some surrounding cities like Kawasaki (Kanagawa prefecture) and Sanmu (Chiba prefecture), to create a series of street-based artworks. Personally, the most striking is this silhouette of a cleaning lady pouring out a bucket of Hokusai’s iconic “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.” That, understandably, is why the artist chose Kanagawa for the location.

pejac japan street art

“Everyone is an artist” (2015). Kawasaki City, Kanagawa

pejac japan street art

“Everyone is an artist” (2015). Kawasaki City, Kanagawa

 


 

pejac japan street art

“Fin Soup” (2015). Shibuya, Tokyo

The most provocative of the Japan series is “Fin Soup” installed in Tokyo’s city center of Shibuya. “This is a work that makes use of the classic anime aesthetics to camouflage a critique to a reality much less kind,” explains the artist. “The genocide of a specie (Sharks) for which Japanese consumers are not the only but the most responsible for.”

pejac-japan-street-art (4-5-6)

“Fin Soup” (2015). Shibuya, Tokyo

 


 

pejac japan street art

“Gulliver” (2015). Sanmu City, Chiba prefecture

In the suburban city of Sanmu, about an hour east from Tokyo, Pejac created “Gulliver,” a surreal landscape that incorporates a traditional Japanese bonsai.

 


 

pejac japan street art

“Seppuku” (2015). Shibuya, Tokyo

“Seppuku” was created in a back alley in Shibuya, Tokyo. The title (literally ‘stomach cutting’) refers to the ritual form of suicide. According to the artist it was created “sort of as a tribute” to Japanese culture as a form of artistic inspiration.

The temporal nature of each work, as well as the exact location, is unclear. If anyone knows the exact location feel free to leave a message in the comments!

pejac japan street art

“Seppuku” (2015). Shibuya, Tokyo