──What were the themes or directions behind these murals?

One is basically like the graffiti pieces I usually paint at spots. The scale is almost the same as usual, and the process is the same too. The other one focuses more on a character, and it’s based on my style of constructing forms only with straight and curved lines.

──Recently, you’ve been using more subdued colors in your work.

That’s true. When I make pieces to display at home, I started feeling that chic colors fit interiors better. It’s probably also related to my own mood. But for these murals, I deliberately kept them brighter.

──It’s interesting that your characters are based on “frames” and “formulas.”

I sometimes make characters in a straightforward way, but often I create them by thinking about how to combine straight and curved lines, like in these panels. In my 2021 solo show “FRAME” at SORTone, I had the theme of composing within the grids of graph paper, and that’s something that has continued ever since. Lately, I’ve also started to allow that sense of “evenness” to collapse a bit. I don’t mind mixing thick and thin lines anymore. Sometimes those errors actually make things more interesting.

──So you always sketch on graph paper.

Exactly. I sketch on graph paper and draw evenly spaced straight lines, but there are inevitably moments where things become “forced.” Sometimes that strain turns into a character’s personality, and I think that’s a good thing.

──With so many exhibitions happening, you deliberately took a break in 2025.

Over the past few years, the number of exhibitions has exploded. Seeing that, there was a time when I felt I didn’t really need to show work. But there are definitely things that only come into being through making, and when you stop for a while, you start wanting to create again. This year has been about realizing that you can’t make good things unless you keep going.

──Is there anything you do day to day to stay motivated?

It might not be specifically for motivation, but I’ve been playing a lot of basketball lately (laughs). It’s a team sport, so you need to make split-second decisions, and that’s really fun. I still want to get better.

──The year is almost over. What kind of year was it for you?

At the start of the year, I set two goals: to go on walks and to read books. I didn’t manage to achieve either. I think there are a lot of hints you can get from walking, but I couldn’t make time to just wander without a destination. I aimed to read ten books, but I started with difficult ones… I feel like I’ve had no breathing room at all. Without that margin, I don’t even get time to sketch, so that’s something I reflect on.

──You also said you try not to be bound by your past work.

If I lean too much into the image people have of “this is what LURK’s work looks like,” I feel like new breakthroughs won’t happen. Looking back at past work is important, but being overly influenced by it isn’t good either. I think it’s better to keep changing little by little.

──Do you have any personal pleasures or current favorites?

I often wear clothes from Creek, Whimsy, and ALWAYTH. And there’s also Mr. Izumi from Fukuoka’s Apple Butter Store. After I moved, we ended up living close by, and started running into each other a lot at his regular izakaya spot, “Ponta.” It’s rare to make new “friends” after turning thirty, right. Someone you can just go eat with, no strings attached. That might be the most interesting thing that’s happened to me recently.

──What is the current graffiti scene in Fukuoka like?

Surprisingly, not many new young kids are coming in . It’s mostly older guys heading deep into the mountains to paint pieces. But honestly, that’s great in its own way. It feels like we’re still clinging to our youth (laughs).

──Is there anything you’d like to try in the future?

I’d like to paint a big wall legally. In 2024, Mina Hamada and Zosen came from Spain, and through a Wallshare project we painted murals together on an entire house in Osaka. I’d love to do something on that scale again.