Akio Nagasawa Gallery Ginza is pleased to present "Boys Just Want to Have Fun," a solo exhibition by TORAJIRO.

Based in Tokyo, TORAJIRO is a Japanese artist who graduated from the Department of Japanese Painting at Musashino Art University. After studying abroad in New York, he returned to Japan and has since continued to create and exhibit digital works, oil paintings, and acrylics while working as a graphic designer.

Speaking about his practice, TORAJIRO says:
"I draw and paint about loneliness and anxiety that sexual minorities have commonly felt from childhood.
The pain of hiding true feelings, living a life of lie. The fear of being honest with yourself. These feelings usually continue even after you grow up and enter into society.
Even if you can workout to look bigger and stronger, you can’t hide the sensitive feeling that overflows from your heart. The expressions on the faces of the people in my artworks, if not necessarily smiling, are telling us various things. And the reason why so many animals appear in my works is that they are there for us, no matter who we are, and they give us a moment of comfort.
Putting the current world situation in the background, I convey anger, sadness, and the idea of coexistence with animals through my paintings."

His works have consistently reflected on themes of inner conflict, isolation, and the significance of coexistence with animals and nature, often against the backdrop of broader social issues.
This exhibition presents a collection of new and recent works as a “quiet resistance”—a subtle yet powerful accumulation of emotional traces expressed through silence and color.
We warmly invite you to experience this important exhibition.

Artist Statement

“Boys Just Want to Have Fun.”
Beneath these simple words lie countless silences and inner conflicts.

The exhibition “Boys Just Want to Have Fun” is a collection of quiet resistance.
There are no loud declarations here. Instead, the bodies and gazes of the painted men, woven the colors that fill each canvas, speak for themselves, leaving traces of emotions too complex for words.

In recent years, as LGBTQ+ rights advance and retreat across the globe, we are constantly reminded that even the simple acts of “just living” or “just having fun” remain entangled in politics and shaped by the laws of each country.
In Japan, same-sex marriage is still not legalized, and micro-aggression or systemic oppression persist in everyday spaces like schools, homes, and workplaces.

In this context, the men depicted by TORAJIRO confront the world not with bold statements, but through “emotions held in silence.”
They gaze at us or look away, standing quietly alongside animals, simply existing. Every hue that flows across the canvas traces their intricate emotions.

The title “Boys Just Want to Have Fun” pays homage to Cyndi Lauper’s 1980s feminist anthem “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, while embracing an ironic expression of freedom and humor that transcends gender.

Through this exhibition, we invite reflection on the quiet yet precious acts so often denied, enjoying everyday life, loving someone, and being true to oneself.

Rather than shouting political slogans, these paintings speak deeper truths through silence and color.
May their quiet voice resonance gently in your heart.

– TORAJIRO