OSAKA--Inspired by Brooklyn's trendy haven to hipsters on the other side of the Pacific, local artists are working to transform part of Osaka’s Yodogawa Ward into an art-rich area in time for the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo.

Their street art project in the downtown Juso area has won the support of residents, but experts say it is crucial for the artists to gain further understanding from locals before mural culture can really take root in Japan.

THE WATCHFUL ARTIST

In mid-October, pedestrians and drivers were astonished to find the image of the late Taro Okamoto suddenly peering at them from up high with his piercing gaze. The renowned avant-garde artist is the subject of a new mural, painted on an exterior wall of an apartment building by the riverside, that measures 13 meters by 9 meters.

"Don't you love his eyes?" said Bakibaki, a Juso-based mural artist.

Bakibaki is part of a live painting duo called Doppel with his partner Mon. They finished the mural together in just two weeks.

"We wanted to show how we are honoring Taro Okamoto's last wishes and taking on the challenge of creating new expressions," he added.

The mural was created as part of the "Yodokabe" project, launched to liven up areas along the Yodogawa river with art before the Osaka Kansai Expo opens.

Five artists have joined the project in total, including its founder, Bakibaki, and another duo. They created five murals on buildings and walls in the Juso and Nishi-Nakajima areas along the Yodogawa river between late September and mid-October.

A wall of a chiropractic clinic near the Yodogawa Ward Office now tells the story, in picture-scroll style, of a space invader called Omochi Alien who gets its bad back treated.

"It feels like I am invading the town for real,” said borutanext5, an illustrator who created a mural for the first time. “It's fun because this mural will remain here for a long time."

Shuhei Kono, a company employee who joined a bus tour to see the murals, said he likes that people can encounter art by chance.

"It is different from paintings displayed in museums. Murals can be seen during a walk or from inside a car. I found another joy in my everyday life."

WINS BUY-IN FROM LOCALS

Bakibaki became motivated to launch the project in March this year after he created a mural, themed on the famed nurse Florence Nightingale, on a building standing next to the Yodogawa Ward Office. He made it to show gratitude and respect for medical workers fighting on the front lines of the pandemic.

The painting was well-received from locals and the owner of the building. The artist even received a work offer for another mural project.

Bakibaki decided to start the Yodokabe project because he wanted to add more murals in his community and share the joy of the experience with other artists.

When he launched a crowdfunding campaign in August to ask for support, it raised more than 5.7 million yen ($50,000) from about 330 people, far exceeding its goal of 800,000 yen.

A private company also joined to provide support.

Wall Share Inc., a mural-production company based in the city's Kita Ward, dealt with the necessary procedures: It gained permission from the proper administrative entities and building owners, and handled issues around rights.

"The mural is the only form of popular art that can bring art and residents closer together," said CEO Takanobu Kawazoe.

But artists need to work at creating understanding among local communities so murals will become more widely accepted in Japan, where graffiti is frowned upon.

Even though artists obtain permission from officials and building owners, some people will still call the police when murals are being put up, mistaking the artists’ work for graffiti, Kawazoe said.

"Awareness is increasing that murals are works of art, but it's not enough," he added. "We want to help locals understand (our efforts) by continuing to create high-quality murals."

DRESSING UP FOR EXPO

The project members aim to create murals at about 30 locations in Juso and elsewhere ahead of the Osaka Kansai Expo.

Bakibaki said he sees some of Brooklyn in Juso, where a cluster of buildings in Osaka's busy Umeda district can be seen over the Yodogawa river. The New York borough is similarly located across the East River from Manhattan, the central city core of New York.

"Brooklyn became a cool place after many artists moved there because of the cheaper rent," Bakibaki said. "We want to create more works of art to help the Juso area retain the downtown ambience unique to Osaka and become an attractive neighborhood blended with art."