Harman Projects at Minnesota Street Project January 2027
KEFExJAPAN
Twelve artists meet in a shared current of painting, street culture, craft, character, and play.
View artists ↓The connection
An exhibition of artists whose work travels between studio and street, between the Bay Area and Japan, and between traditions remade for the present.
The artists
01—12
Tokyo
MHAK
Masahiro Akutagawa
Painting · Murals · Public art
Masahiro Akutagawa (MHAK) is a Tokyo-based painter recognized for rhythmic, repeating curves and abstract murals designed to coexist with architecture and living environments. His practice spans interiors, public art, traditional crafts, and international brand collaborations.
MHAK has exhibited internationally in New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Sydney, and Milan. His solo exhibitions at Gallery Target include Ten (2015) and C.W.L. (2025), the latter marking a new chapter in his long-running exploration of art in coexistence with living environments.
Curatorial note
We were introduced to MHAK through our friend Yoshi. MHAK and Yoshi are both members of an artist collective called 81 Bastards, which originated in Tokyo, Japan. We are drawn to the ethereal shapes and amazing use of color in his work. We have shown together on a few different occasions, and I love how his work transforms a space.
Asakusa, Tokyo
ESOW
Yoshihito Kawada
Graffiti · Painting · Objects
Yoshihito Kawada (ESOW) is a Tokyo-born graffiti artist whose distinctive visual language merges skate culture and American graffiti with the spirit and aesthetics of Edo-period Japan. Based in Asakusa, he works across walls, paper, wood, and three-dimensional objects.
ESOW maintains an active exhibition practice across Japan and Asia. Recent solo presentations have taken place at TARTCH Gallery in Taiwan, BEAMS T and Daikanyama Tsutaya in Tokyo, Pinebrook Gallery in Osaka, and SQUASH DAIMYO in Fukuoka, followed by a 2025 solo exhibition at TRINE Gallery in Tokyo.
Curatorial note
I met ESOW when I first traveled to Tokyo in the early 2000s. We were both part of a group exhibition displayed in Ebisu. We both grew up in the skateboarding world, and ESOW and I worked on graphics for FTC and some mural work as well. I always loved how his sense of humor comes through in his work. He is one of the most prolific artists I know, and I love his compositions. He is a master storyteller. — Ferris
New York · Tokyo
ESPO
Stephen Powers
Sign painting · Typography
Stephen Powers (ESPO) is a Philadelphia-born artist who emerged from the graffiti world before developing an internationally recognized practice rooted in sign painting, bold typography, wit, and emotionally direct messages. He now divides his time between New York and Tokyo, where he paints, exhibits, and operates ESPOKYO, his storefront gallery in Jingumae dedicated to his work.
Powers’s exhibition history includes Street Market with Barry McGee and Todd James at Deitch Projects in 2000, later presented at the 49th Venice Biennale; the 2002 Liverpool Biennial; and Daymaker, a site-specific commission at SFMOMA shown from 2019 to 2020.
Curatorial note
ESPO had an exhibition in San Francisco when I was working at a gallery called The Luggage Store. He was another artist who made me laugh and think. I immediately admired his creativity and his ability to create works from “unconventional” materials. His wordplay and themes continue to amuse me to this day. ESPO has been living and working in Tokyo for quite some time, and we always love dropping by his gallery to see what he is working on. He has a way with words, truly: when in conversation, he seems to be drawing word pictures as he speaks. It’s quite the experience.
Aichi
Yoshi47
Yoshifumi Nomura
Painting · Murals · Design
Yoshifumi Nomura (Yoshi47) is a Japanese painter, muralist, designer, and former bicycle messenger whose work grew from his experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area. His energetic imagery draws on cycling, street culture, nature, and the movement of everyday life.
Yoshi47 began exhibiting in San Francisco in the early 2000s, with solo shows at Stussy SF Gallery and Kidrobot SF in 2005. More recent exhibitions include I Am Back! at Anno Domini in San Jose (2022), Daily Motifs in Taiwan (2024), and Recollections in Fukuoka (2025).
Curatorial note
I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Yoshi when he lived in San Francisco, but I feel very lucky to have met him in Japan. He was once a bicycle messenger in San Francisco and lived briefly in San Jose while attending college. He invited me to work with him on a project after he returned to Tokyo. We had so much fun collaborating that we vowed to continue working together. We call him Uncle Yoshi at our home. His style is whimsical yet sophisticated through form and color work. He continues to push himself in different mediums, and it has been a pleasure watching him grow as an artist. He now lives and works with his wife in the countryside, where he fishes, surfs, and grows fresh vegetables in his backyard. — Ferris
Tokyo
SAND
Naoki Yamamoto · SandNaoki
Graphic art · Painting
Naoki Yamamoto (SAND / SandNaoki) is a Tokyo-based graphic artist and painter whose bold, pop-inflected work offers a playful and frequently cynical view of contemporary culture. He is a cofounder of SAYHELLO and a member of the artist collective 81 BASTARDS.
Since his 2017 solo exhibition MUDDY at W+K Gallery, SAND has shown work in group exhibitions in Japan and abroad. His exhibition history also includes Different Strokes at WAG Gallery and mural festivals such as #BICTION, both independently and with 81 BASTARDS.
Curatorial note
Naoki is an amazing talent across so many mediums. He is sort of the ringleader of the 81 Bastards crew and always has amazing projects in the works. He is an illustrator, muralist, clothing designer, graphic designer, studio painter, and one of the coolest and nicest collaborators I have ever worked with. His family is amazing, and he is an amazing father to his daughter. He is also another uncle to our two sons. I have been fortunate to work with him on many different exhibitions and design projects. — Ferris
Tokyo
Keeenue
Kana Matsukura
Painting · Murals · Installation
Kana Matsukura (Keeenue) is a Japanese artist and muralist whose colorful compositions combine abstract forms, imagined characters, and fluid, otherworldly spaces. Her practice includes painting, large-scale murals, installations, and collaborations with international brands.
Keeenue’s recent solo exhibitions include The Me in the Mirror at OIL by Bijutsutecho (2022), Our Weight, Wait Hour at Kyoto Tsutaya Books (2024), Color Outside the Lines at PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO (2025), and Ebb at HARUKAITO by island (2026).
Curatorial note
I was introduced to Keeenue’s work by Naoki and Yoshi when we put together a group exhibition in Tokyo in 2019. Her style blurred the lines between figurative and abstract work in a massive blast of color. Her work always feels like it is in motion—the pieces feel alive. When we visit Japan, I always love seeing her latest mural work. Her work feels strong whether scaled tiny or gigantic, and it always has a story to tell.
Mie
SUGI
Keita Sugimori · Sugi90
Drawing · Painting · Murals
Keita Sugimori (SUGI / Sugi90) is a Japanese drawing artist whose work is influenced by skateboarding, music, human activity, and the contrasting rhythms of urban and rural life. Working through drawing, painting, and murals, he captures affectionate and quietly humorous moments from everyday experience.
SUGI presented the solo exhibition Say Hello to Him at CLASS in Tokyo in 2019. In 2025, his traveling solo exhibition Kokoro no Tabi began at ART SPACE IGA in his home prefecture of Mie before continuing to Chiba and Tokyo.
Curatorial note
When we think of SUGI’s work, we think of him painting on top of Good Mellows in Kamakura. Composition and color are both so strong in his work. I feel like he is a more classic painter living his best life in the modern world. His edges are soft, and the scenes he often paints always beckon me to join—a lovely beach or grassy knoll. His work has play and warmth in every piece. He also enjoys working with “unconventional” materials to great effect.
Tokyo
Letterboy
Peter Liedberg
Lettering · Sign painting · Design
Peter Liedberg (Letterboy) is a Swedish-born, Tokyo-based lettering artist, sign painter, and graphic designer. Through his Letterboy studio, he specializes in hand-lettered identities, traditional brushwork, sign painting, and gold leaf.
Letterboy exhibited alongside SAND and Supermundane in Different Strokes at WAG Gallery in Tokyo in 2017. In 2026 he organized the Tokyo Sign Painting Festival at Shibuya PARCO, bringing together eleven sign painters for demonstrations, screenings, and public programming.
Curatorial note
A Swedish sign painter whose calligraphy and lettering talent is off the charts. To call him just another sign painter would be the understatement of a lifetime. His myriad font styles are actually bonkers. When we visit his studio in Tokyo, we feel like we are walking into a temple of typography. He is married to an amazing talent and is also the father of two amazing young people.
Chiba
Hi-Dutch
Takahiro Hida
Mixed media · Resin · Sculpture
Takahiro Hida (Hi-Dutch) is a Japanese mixed-media artist whose practice grew from the resin-working techniques he learned repairing surfboards. He combines resin with yarn, wood, and reclaimed materials to create colorful works shaped by surfing, the ocean, and environmental awareness.
Hi-Dutch’s solo exhibitions include Yesterday . Today . Tomorrow at Gallery Target in Tokyo (2019), Red & Green at Moosey in London (2024), and Little by Little at SAI. He has also participated in group exhibitions across Japan, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia.
Curatorial note
Hi-Dutch’s work has so much intention behind it and is so amazingly crafted that you might actually miss it. The materials he chooses and the reasons he chooses them help fuel his work. His work has dimension, often incorporating found objects, and each piece is painstakingly crafted. It requires a level of vision, dedication, and patience that we find truly inspirational.
Aichi
Ruchan5
Rutsu Miki
Painting · Landscape · Abstraction
Rutsu Miki (Ruchan5) is a Japanese painter whose atmospheric works draw together memories of places, changing light, climate, and the feeling of the studio environment. Her layered landscapes often move between recognizable scenery and abstraction.
Miki’s recent solo exhibitions include Transparent Mountain, Opaque Window at gallery N in Aichi (2021), View and Shadow at gallery N (2022), and The Garden I Saw Yesterday at gallery N Kanda Shataku in Tokyo (2023). She also presented a two-person exhibition with Yoshi47 at Masayoshi Suzuki Gallery in 2019.
Curatorial note
Ruchan builds worlds in her work. The color and balance of her work give my heart a resting place when I sit with them. Impressionism, abstraction, and figurative painting somehow cohabitate in her paintings. We love her colors as well. Ferris often finds himself wanting to walk around in one of her depictions of forests or beaches. Her work has a childlike wonder that many artists aspire to achieve in their work.
San Francisco
Kelly Tunstall
Exhibiting Artist / Curator
Kelly Tunstall is a San Francisco–based painter known for stylized figurative works that blend portraiture, fashion, folklore, and dreamlike symbolism.
Tunstall’s exhibition history includes The Space Between, created during a 2017 residency at the de Young Museum; Amongst Friends at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York (2019); Still in San Francisco (2020); and the KeFe exhibitions Fresh Eyes (2023) and Music Island (2025–26) at Harman Projects.
San Francisco
Ferris Plock
Exhibiting Artist / Curator
Ferris Plock is a San Francisco–based artist whose character-driven paintings combine contemporary pop culture, playful geometry, and influences from Japanese ukiyo-e. He works across painting, illustration, collage, sculpture, and installation.
Plock’s exhibition history includes The Space Between at the de Young Museum (2017), Amongst Friends at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York (2019), Dogpatch Skateboards in San Francisco and Futureproof in Portland (2020), and Me and My Friends at Harman Projects (2021).