Rina Takahashi is a digital illustrator and graphic designer who bridges traditional Japanese heritage with contemporary Western urban culture. Working under her signature "Neo Ukiyo-e" style, she reimagines classic Edo-period themes through a modern lens, integrating bold Y2K motifs, maximalist digital textures, and graphic character designs. Born with a "Tokyo soul" and currently based in France, her artwork has been showcased across Europe, including recent exhibitions in Paris and Barcelona. She actively collaborates with independent concept spaces, including Rainbow in La Baule, where her physical collections are exclusively curated.
Social Networks :
Instagram handle: @rina_takahashi_720
Rina takahashi
1. Inspiration & Style
What initially inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your unique artistic style?
I don’t know if I can explain this very well, but this is the reason why I draw, and it’s something I really care about.
It’s the kind of libido I felt when I first heard the Ramones and The Clash at thirteen. I don’t mean sexual desire. It was more like a huge amount of frustration and energy building up inside me, with nowhere to go.
At first, I didn’t draw because I wanted other people to see my work. I drew for myself. I needed to get something out of me and release it. My drawings were so personal that I couldn’t even show them to my family or friends.
Then, by chance, my junior high school teacher, Ms. Akama, saw one of my sketchbooks. I was extremely embarrassed because it contained the kind of drawings that eventually became the basis of my style today.
But instead of telling me to hide them, she said, “This isn’t something to be ashamed of. This is something amazing.”
She asked me to create a calendar on a large sheet of paper, drawing whatever I felt about each month and season, using as many colors as I wanted.
For the next two years, I created one drawing every month. Little by little, people started looking forward to seeing my new drawings.
That was when drawing stopped being something I was ashamed of and became a way for me to communicate with people and get closer to them.
That is still the reason why I draw today, and it is the foundation of who I am as an artist.
2. Creative Process
Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset when starting a new project?
Working on and organizing my color palettes in Procreate often helps me come up with ideas. I usually draw my rough sketches with blue lines, and from there, I often start imagining things like patterns for the background. A lot of the time, the image just comes together naturally as I experiment and draw things spontaneously.
3. Artistic Influences
How do you balance historical or artistic influences with your personal style, and how do these influences manifest in your work today?
I don’t know many historical painters or artists very well, so I honestly find it difficult when people ask me about my painting techniques or artistic influences.
But the things that have really influenced me are the packaging of American toys from the ’90s that I used to see in toy stores when I was a kid, as well as TV and movie titles. I love that kind of visual culture, and I still spend late nights looking at them online.
So when people ask me about my technique, one thing I always come back to is typography. I really love typography, so I try to include my own original typography in every drawing.
4. Emotion & Expression
How do you use your art to evoke emotions, and what role does emotion play in your creative process?
I think I already mentioned this in my answer to the very first question, but I try not to forget that feeling of libido, or that kind of raw, initial impulse.
I mainly share my work on Instagram, but I think there’s a slightly selfish feeling behind it— like, this is the color combination I can only make today, or this is something I have to do right now, otherwise it won’t feel right anymore.
Maybe I’m a little bit of a punk at heart. Haha(☆∀☆)
5. Standout Projects
Can you share a project that stands out to you and describe the creative process behind it?
It would probably be my first group exhibition, which I was able to take part in in Singapore in 2019. It lasted for about two weeks.
I was contacted through an Instagram DM and invited to participate in group exhibitions that were going to be held in Singapore, Shanghai, and Taiwan. They asked me if I would like to join.
I thought, “I probably won’t get an invitation this fun again,” so I decided to take part.
I only had about a month to prepare before the exhibition, so I remember having to get everything ready in a huge rush.
6. Feedback & Growth
How do you incorporate feedback from critics or audiences into your work, and how do you balance this with your own artistic intuition?
The internet can be a very kind place, so actually, I haven’t really received many negative comments about my work. This time, I’d like to actually talk to people who see my work at the exhibition and try to take their feedback on board.
I’ll do my best not to get completely torn apart, cry, and go home.(·:ﾟдﾟ:·)（笑）
7. Motivation & Inspiration
How do you stay motivated and inspired, even when facing creative blocks or challenges?
I don’t really experience creative blocks, but I do have financial ones. I’d say that’s probably the only kind of block I have.
8. Exhibiting Work
How do you feel about exhibiting your artwork with The Holy Art Gallery, and what does this opportunity mean to you?
I also hope to make lots of new friends. I’m still not very comfortable with English or French, but I hope that with just a little opportunity or something to start with, I can get to know everyone and become friends.
I think art is something you can look at and enjoy, but it can also be a tool for communication.
Also, since this is my first exhibition in France, I wanted to use ukiyo-e as a subject as a way to introduce myself and let people get to know my work.
I wanted to reinterpret the beautiful women depicted in ukiyo-e by Kitagawa Utamaro as a form of contemporary Japanese culture.
By combining this traditional Japanese art with the image of an “IT Girl” living in modern Japan, I wanted to express something that I feel I can create precisely because I live abroad — a connection between Japanese tradition and contemporary culture.
I feel that this is a truly valuable opportunity to step outside of Japan and connect with people from many different countries.
9. Future Goals
What are your long-term goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?
I’m still not very well known, so I hope that through this exhibition, I can meet and connect with many different people. My dream is to work with music because I love rock, punk, hip-hop, and many other kinds of music. I’d be really happy if, through my artwork, I could get opportunities to create videos using my illustrations for YouTube, or design album covers and other artwork for musicians.
So, if you’re a music producer, beatmaker, or musician and you’re interested in my artwork, even just a little, please feel free to get in touch with me! I’d love to hear from you!
Please contact me via Instagram.！
10. Audience Connection
What do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art, and how do you aim to connect with them on an emotional or intellectual level?
I hope that my work can give you a chance to experience that same kind of intense
impulse I felt when I first heard the Ramones and The Clash—the feeling of “Wow, there’s a style like this!”
I would be really happy if my work could make you feel that kind of powerful excitement again. Haha, just kidding.
