"Back then, I was at rock bottom. I was mentally and physically exhausted. But I realized that I only have one life, so I decided to seriously challenge myself to pursue the dream I truly wanted to do."

Three months passed. I cut off all contact with the outside world and focused solely on painting. Then, I decided to create a portfolio (a collection of my work) to show to others for the first time. My target was Rei Kawakubo, the founder and designer of Comme des Garçons. I had decided that if I was going to take on a challenge, it should be with someone I considered the greatest in the world.

Ever since my dream of going to art school was shattered, I'd been avoiding seriously committing to anything. I always had this complacent attitude that things would somehow work out even if I did things half-heartedly. I had no talent, no sense, no academic background. I was told that over and over again, and before I knew it, I couldn't even believe in myself anymore. But there's no running away now.

"Of course, since I sent it on my own initiative, there was absolutely no guarantee that she would even look at it. But I thought this was my only chance, so I attached a letter saying, 'I have no academic background, work experience, or awards. Please judge me solely on my work,' and mailed it to Ms. Kawakubo."


Two days later, he received a call from Kawakubo herself. Then, from spring 2015 to 2019, his work was adopted by Comme des Garçons five times. Starting with graphics for Comme des Garçons Homme Plus T-shirts, his work was used for customer direct mail, shopping bags, and artwork for the 19SS collection. Despite being unknown, his powerful style, which rivaled that of a top-tier fashion brand, captivated everyone. It was around this time that he began calling himself "baanai." It was a declaration of his determination and resolve to make a living in the world of art.

"I had thought of a name for a while, but I kept it under wraps because I wasn't working professionally at the time. The name comes from my favorite artists. Barry McGee, Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat—they all have names that start with 'ba'. I decided on 'baanai' with the desire to get even one step closer to them."


Barry McGee, who started out in graffiti but established a firm position in the art world; Banksy, a masked artist who risks his life to send messages against the absurdities of society; and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who rose from near-homelessness to stardom after his talent was discovered on the streets. Among them, Basquiat's presence was special.

"Someone like me, who has been constantly rejected, can't even get to the starting line if they do the same things as everyone else. That's why I decided to approach places that aren't open to everyone, rather than competitions that anyone can apply to. It's more difficult, and getting picked out there is definitely cooler."

For Comme des Garçons, he created a piece where the entire canvas was filled with the words "COMME des GARSONS." Baanai still takes pride in having hand-drawn that alphabet more than anyone else in the world. And that fact continues to fuel his creative work.




"After searching for the right words for a long time, the answer I finally found was 'ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU' (Thank you). I've been continuously drawing this message for the past three years."

In the world of surfing, one must surrender to nature, a force beyond one's control. In painting, on the other hand, he has experienced numerous setbacks, struggles, and despair. It is precisely because of these experiences that he has arrived at a feeling of "gratitude and humility" towards life. For baanai, "ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU" may be the ultimate phrase that encompasses both of these feelings.

"Somewhere in my heart, I think I believe that even if I'm not good at it, if I push myself to the absolute limit and work hard enough to feel like I'm the best in the world, something will happen. And that's exactly what happened at Comme des Garçons. What would I create if I continued to paint for 365 days a year without a single day off? And what would happen if I continued to paint the most 'ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU' in the world? This is my own experiment and challenge. I believe that miracles will happen again."



--Could you tell us about the contents of this exhibition?

"For the past few years, I've been focusing on 'ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU' (thank you very much), so I'm preparing several new works centered around that. Some people might like that I keep depicting the words 'ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU,' while others might think it's cliché. However, I think it's because I've continued doing that that I've been approached by a place other than a gallery this time, and I'm looking forward to taking on a new challenge."

—How do you choose the messages to turn into illustrations ?

"During his lifetime, Yukio Mishima reportedly said, 'All works of art must have a high spiritual character.' In other words, he believed that unless something is spiritual and of a high spiritual character, it cannot be called true art. Influenced by that, I choose words that I consider to have a 'high spiritual character' to convey the message in my paintings. After many years of self-reflection, I arrived at 'ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU' (Thank you very much)."


──What aspects of your work would you like customers to see?

"I guess it's about following my feelings. With that in mind, I've recently been very conscious of layering colors, so I'd like people to pay attention to the layering in my work. I upload my work to Instagram, but the screen is small, and I think you can really appreciate it in person."

Event Information

baanai exhibition "inaiinaibaanai"

□February 27th (Wednesday) - March 26th (Tuesday)

□ Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2nd Floor = Men's Creators