Graffiti Japan

Loving graffiti, Tokyo-based photographer Remo Camerota had an idea to be a graffiti artist himself. But as he says, “Instead I decided to do a book on the subject of Japanese graffiti as there wasn’t one.” From there he contacted Japanese artists who invited him to meet with them. He ended up living with some of these artists and being taken to secret sites that appear in his book Graffiti Japan.

The book launched in New York last year and Camerota had the opportunity to paint with old school Brooklyn painters who influenced Japanese graffiti. Launches were then held in San Francisco and Tokyo, and the photographer will be touring London and Bristol with the book in September.

So how does Japanese graffiti differ to western graffiti? “Western graffiti is more about throwing up your name. It is fame oriented and the painter wants to find quick fame. In Japan the artists are not interested in fame, or even getting paid. It’s all about the art. All of the Japanese guys did not want their websites in the book as they wanted to remain anonymous. In the west, they would jump at the chance of having their links in the book.”