If you’ve ever walked through the streets of Tokyo, you’re probably familiar with flashing neon lights, the bustling districts highlighting fashion and music, and the fleeting nostalgic moments you feel as people in this city come and go.
In the most recent gallery/pop-up store by Menmeiz, vintage and retro-inspired artwork is on display from various artists on the 4th floor of Beams Japan in Shinjuku. The artist I wanted to see the most was Shiho So, who has not only done VJ work for some of my favorite DJs in Tokyo, but also has designed posters, album covers, and a book cover for “Ring of the Day” too! Her art combines pastel colors with a retro art style that is reminiscent of the 80s in Japan.
In addition to brightly-colored balloons, shirts, hair accessories, zines, posters, and wands, this gallery also features citypop music by Night Tempo for the best viewing experience! Conveniently located next to this exhibit, there is a store with vintage Sony stereos and cassettes for sale.
If you would like to know more about vaporwave and how this kind of internet subculture originated, you can browse through zines on the table for more information. I personally enjoyed the one titled “ももたろう/PEACH BOY” because it was a nice homage of the old Japanese classic.
If you are in Shinjuku, please be sure to check this gallery out! It is only viewable for the short duration of June 14th – June 23rd, but there will be more events like this available in the future.
