LY in Tokyo

Artist LY guides us through the places and spaces in Tokyo that have galvanised her practice - including some locations that are instantly recognisable in her latest works. Photography by Niko Wu.

2 min read

Imperial Place East Gardens ,Chiyoda

Planet Park, Hachioji

Ly used to work exclusively in black and white, but after a while felt it limited her drawing and expressiveness. It was an encounter with Planet Park skatepark that pushed her perspective on this, and encouraged her to introduce grey into her palette for the first time.

Planet Park

On her first visit to this skatepark, LY was struck by the way the concrete atmosphere reflected how she was feeling. She could more accurately express her worldview by incorporating its hues in her work. Grey became synonymous with hope. Skateboarding and the skatepark are now significant motifs in her practice.

Confused LUV at Planet Park

LY's first work using grey

Shinjuku Gyoen and Imperial Gardens East

Urban escapism is a strong influence on her work. These landscapes in particular are among LY's favourite places to walk.

Shinjuku Gyoen, Shinjuku

Imperial Place East Gardens, Chiyoda

iki EXPRESSO

The restaurant scene in Tokyo appears in many of LY's paintings, and she picks out the contemporary iki EXPRESSO as her favourite place to eat out in the city.

iki EXPRESSO, Tokiwa

Confused LUV waiting outside

Tokyo National Museum and The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno

Ueno is home to cultural institutions such as zoos and museums. When LY was a child, she would visit the area with her family to see the art and paintings, and sketch her favourite animals at the zoo. The first impressions of her artistic career were made in this culturally vibrant district.

Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum

More works from LY to discover


More in this series

Jammie Holmes Painting
interview

Jammie Holmes – Painting Pan-Africanism

The Louisiana-born artist opens up about how his upbringing inspired 'Fred', our limited edition print that places Fred Hampton in Jammie’s childhood home.

8 min read
To Dream is To Hope (Epistles of Hope Series), Cyril France, 2023
interview

The Changing Face of African Art

Raphael Dapaah is the founder of Dapaah Gallery – an art agency and consultancy specialising in art from Africa and the global diaspora. This Black History Month we sat down with him for an open conversation about his journey into the art world, and the triumphs and challenges facing Black artists today.

5 min read
Artist Robert Nava sits on a chair
interview

In Conversation: Robert Nava & Christian Luiten

Avant Arte co-founder Christian Luiten recently caught up with NYC-based artist Robert Nava on Clubhouse.

A wall with framed artworks, Exhibition shot WOAW Gallery & Avant Arte
article

WOAW Gallery: WoP

Staged at WOAW Gallery in Hong Kong, WoP includes original works on paper from a cohort of 24 artists — setting long-time Avant Arte collaborators alongside a host of established and emerging talents from around the world.

3 min read

Insightful?

Insightful?

Subscribe to the Avant Arte newsletter for the art world in your inbox.


Discover more insights

Cecily Brown
00:59
video

Cecily Brown

Discover how British artist Cecily Brown made her mark as a painter despite spending her formative years on the installation-obsessed ‘90s British art scene.

Black and white photo of Georgia O'Keefe
00:58
video

Georgia O’Keeffe

Georgia O’Keeffe was a pioneer of American Modernism. Her sensual paintings, from the early 1900s to her death in 1986, reflect the promise and pitfalls of the 20th Century.

Lisa Yuskavage studio portraits
00:53
video

Lisa Yuskavage

These magnificently smutty pin-ups are the work of a legend of contemporary painting, Lisa Yuskavage. Born in 1962 in Philadelphia to an Irish working class family, Lisa turns ‘wrongness’ into salacious works of art that give Classical painting a run for its money.

Photo of Keith Harring
00:52
video

Keith Haring

Keith Haring made art first and foremost for the people.