I have always liked to create things.

First of all, please tell us about your background.

Toya.My hometown is Yokohama, Japan. After graduating from high school, I came to the U.S. to attend college in Los Angeles, and moved to New York a little over five years ago. I took art classes when I was in elementary school, and I always liked to create things. Then, when I was 18, my parents recommended that I go abroad, and I had a vague idea that I wanted to be an architect, so I decided to go to the U.S. to study, and I went to LA even though I couldn't speak English (laughs).

So you wanted to be an architect.

Toya.I was always more interested in sculpture and making three-dimensional objects than in painting. My family owns a building materials shop. I grew up surrounded by concrete blocks, screws, gravel, hammers, and so on. So, the works created by minimalist contemporary artists are both nostalgic and fresh.

Did you actually go to a university with an architecture department?

Toya.: No, I ended up studying general education stuff and English in college as a normal course of study. Around that time, I was looking at skateboarding, counterculture, and skate deck graphics, and I thought it was really cool. I watched skate videos in high school, too, but I was influenced by them again. That's when I started thinking about creating something like that.

What brought you to New York?

Toya.I was staying in New York for a month in August of 2011, and I visited Eric's studio and asked him directly to let me be his assistant. Eric was going to hold an exhibition in Japan in November, and I asked him if I could help him with that. So, by chance, he accepted me into his studio. That was the beginning.

And then you started to devote yourself to creative work in earnest?

Toya.I was living a normal student life in L.A. It wouldn't make sense if I did the same thing in New York, so I thought I could join the guys over here anyway. I went to a lot of stores.

Is the store a clothing store?

Toya.: Yes, that's right. But if that is all you do, you are just a customer. If I don't approach them and tell them what I am doing, they will never look at me or care about what I am doing. That is why I started making stickers and illustrating people in New York in the style of "Grand Theft Auto" (a popular game released by Rockstar). As I did that, the environment gradually improved. If you think about it, I have been creating something ever since I came to New York.

You asked Eric Elms to visit his studio, and you showed your works spontaneously.

Toya.I think I have that kind of luck (laughs). (laughs). (laughs) I also dive in. I get nervous at first, though. I'm working at LQQK STUDIO now, but I went there to ask for a job because I wanted to study silkscreening. Also, my sponsor, and I don't mean sponsor in the Japanese sense of the word, but an agent who supports me by signing the necessary documents to obtain a visa for me as an artist. I did not know him directly, but I got his contact information from a mutual acquaintance. His name is Toya, and he is from Japan and is doing something like this. I asked him if there was anything I could do to help.

Did you get an easy OK?

Toya.He's Alex Dimond, and I think he knows me. He knew me. So I asked him if he would like to work with me sometime.

You knew that Mr. Toya had been making stickers, didn't you?

Toya.I guess so. It seems like they were looking at it. I started doing "GRAND THEFT AUTO" style illustrations around 2012 to 2013, when Instagram was exploding in New York, so people uploaded a lot of my work. So I still get a lot of comments about it. I still get that comment today, like, "You were doing that? I was like, "You were doing that? It seems that a lot of people recognized me in that way, and Alex was one of them.

I see. So, you are saying that Alex is an agent of Toya's and that some of the work is done through him, right?

Toya.I think so. Alex will ask me, "I have a job like this, do you want to do it? Or, "I have a job like this coming up, let's do it together. The first job I did with Alex was the logo base for the collaboration between "917" and "Nike SB," which was released last year. After that, I started designing jackets for "Arctic Terrax," "All Timers," and "Quarter Snacks," among others. At first, I was given instructions like, "Do this, do that," but gradually, people started asking me, "Toya, do you have any good ideas? But gradually, people started asking me, "Toya, do you have any good ideas?

What has been your biggest influence on skate culture?

Toya.I like skating. I like skating itself, and I also like graphics. I also like Supreme, and I love hip-hop. Lately I've been listening to Ja Rule, 50 Cent, and in the studio I've been listening to Three Six Mafia, etc. I also love the 90s, but those 00s guys were cool in a good way, super cool. The music video visuals and carver artwork from back then were really cool. Of course, I love today's hip-hop, too. I like the mindset of "let's win the hip-hop game! I like that kind of mindset.

In terms of hip-hop, you did the artwork for the cover of Kid Resino's album "Salve", didn't you?

Toya.I used to hang out with Sasaki (KID FRESINO) and DJ Scratch Nice, and he asked me to take the main photo for him. The three of us discussed and finalized the image, and then we designed everything from the inner slip to the position of the barcode. I am happy to say that Sasaki seemed to be pleased with the results.

How much you want to create what you want to create.

Torja, would your title be graphic designer? What do you do? What would you say if someone asked you, "What do you do?

Toya.I would say that I am doing graphic design and visual art. I haven't been able to make a living in visual arts yet, but I would definitely say visual arts, because I am doing it. I can quit graphic design in another three or five years. In fact, I plan to quit, within five years.

How do you draw the line between the two?

Toya.: I'm also a designer who does graphic design, but in the end, I have a client, and I have to finish what other people are looking for in 100%. But I guess that is not so difficult. Visual art is all about what you want to create, and since it is art, you can go as far as you can in expressing what you want to express. That's what's interesting to me these days. It's up to me. We Talk About Blue" was very well received. I am really glad I made it.

This is a collection of artwork that you recently released, Mr. Toya. Why was this one blue?

Toya.The inspiration is jazz. John Coltrane's "Blue Train" and Miles Davis's "A Kind Of Blue" are examples. Jazz musicians often use the name "blue" in their titles, and their scores are also called "blue notes. In jazz, blue is a very important word or color. Picasso also has a "Blue Period," and Henry Matisse has some striking blues. Last year, blue was my personal favorite color, so I created "We Talk About Blue". There are many kinds of blue. Some are bright, some are greenish, and so on. I was searching for my own blue. I was searching for my own blue. The blue produced by the label Blue Note is more greenish, but I thought that my blue was not like that. I wondered what kind of blue is more unrealistic and universal. That's how I came up with this blue. This is my blue.

By turning it blue, the familiar turns into the unknown, doesn't it?

Toya.Yes, that's what everyone told me. I was surprised that people bought more than I expected. I was surprised that more people bought the book than I had expected. However, we did not print more copies, and this one is now complete.

Do you work with Japanese brands and companies?

Toya.I have a brand in Japan with a friend. It's called Hellraiser. The director Tsumi is in Japan and I am the designer. That's about all I do in Japan. It's a mysterious brand that I can't fully grasp, but the products are very cool.

From our point of view in Japan, New York seems to be a place where the fashion industry is changing even faster than Tokyo.

Toya.Do you mean that the transition is fast and furious, or do you mean that brands are disappearing? If so, it is probably faster in Japan. After all, people in Japan get bored easily. People here have a base, so even if a brand is discontinued, the person will remain the same. It is as if the brand is gone but the image of the brand remains unchanged. That is why there is nothing left. Here, there is something that exists, and that is what is developed and emerges, so there is a complete difference. I guess it is the times.

In other words, do you mean that there are many people in Japan who run brands simply as a fashion statement?

Toya.I think it has become all about fashion. I think everything has become fashion. I think clothes are a form of expression.

Is it limited to brands that have a visible backbone, such as skate brands?

Toya.Yes, you are making things because you want to make them, and this is evident in your fashion, design, and brand. Of course, there are times when I think, "Oh, there's another brand in the U.S. that's out of control," but I don't mind that at all. Thankfully, the people I work with and talk with now are people and brands that I really like and respect. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I am grateful for that.

What do you want to create in the future?

Toya.I would like to create a still life. In Japanese, I think it is called still life painting. I really like Tom Wesselmann's Still Life. I always wonder how I could express it. Recently, Wade Gayton's works are the best. I also like Black Power. It's not just that I admire black people, but I like their racial power. I think black people have suffered persecution and oppression, but because of their anger, power, and passion, there is a sense of love and peace. In the case of reggae, I like the idea of converting oppressed anger into love and peace. Racial issues are becoming more prominent again with Trump and the oppression of black people, but I hate conflict, and I want to think that we should be peaceful, so I want to make something like that. It is not that I want to make something political, but I would like to show things that have a racial background, such as African masks, through my own expression in my works.