CF: Tell us about your background in graphic design and illustration. What were your first steps and when did you realize you wanted to do that full time?

When I was at secondary school, I started to collect images by cutting magazines and stickers. It was just to play around, but I found myself quite enjoying creating collage-images. My interests moved to becoming an interior designer at first, then a graphic designer and lastly a film maker. I applied for film making at Central St. Martins, but the interviewer suggested to go for a graphic, illustration course at London College of Communication where I was able to work on making movies too. So that interview-lady decided my pathway in a sense.

CF: Where do you usually draw inspiration from? Are there any artists in any discipline that have really influenced your work past or present?

I was influenced by Tadanori Yokoo and Keiji Ito in the past, when I thought to become a graphic designer. I like surreal images with new visions, and that guides many of my inspirations. Artists who have recently influenced me are conceptual artist such as John Stezaker, and photographers Viviane Sassen and David LaChapelle.

CF: Tell us about your collaboration with street photographer Yu Fujiwara for the upcoming exhibition Metamorphose. How did it come about and what can we expect to see when the show opens?

I’ve known Yu from studying at LCC and I like his photography – he knows about fashion, captures images of people as they are.  For Metamorphose, I’ve been looking for photographers and images that focus on people, clothes and worlds with varieties in colours, elements and objects.  This time, I asked him for a series of street snaps that he has been photographing across the world for his project, 8 and 2. I have to thank him for his generosity in the copy-right issues as well.

Metamorphose is kind of an extension of my previous exhibition called weirdos where images look like big faces or figures, but in this case it is all about metamorphosis – how people’s faces and features were played around with to give shape something completely different.

“I like surreal images with new visions, and that guides many of my inspirations”

CF: if you could choose a soundtrack for your work, what would you choose?

For the metamorphose project, I would choose electronic and experimental sounds with lots of different instruments. My tune these days is YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra), especially ‘The City Of Light‘ and ‘Tokyo Town Pages‘.

CF: What is your favourite thing about living in London?

I like having feelings that I don’t find in Tokyo: very creative environments – lots of events, theaters, exhibitions and parties with diverse disciplines and manners.

CF: Aside from the Metamorphose exhibition what other projects do you have in planned for 2014? Are there any styles or ideas you would like to explore further in the future?

I would like to continue collaborating with photographers, and look for more opportunities to showcase new works and to meet new people. Currently, I’m playing a lot with photoshop paints and effects to find interesting digital outcomes.