INTERVIEW — VOL.10
Hiroki Nishiyama
Text _ Solidus Editorial
Illustrator Hiroki Nishiyama reframes the everyday through color and negative space. From window art at Shinjuku Lumine 1 and work for SHISEIDO, to tour merchandise for "KIRINJI" and covers for Shūkan Bunshun, a leading Japanese weekly magazine, he works across advertising, music, and fashion — while continuing to create and exhibit paintings rooted in daily life. Here, he talks about "Adrift" by "Tycho", a song he has kept close for over a decade, and the quiet sense of elevation it brings to his life and work.
Could you tell us about your work?
As a freelance illustrator, I create work across a wide range of formats — books, magazines, advertising, packaging, web, commercial spaces, and musician merchandise. Alongside client work, I also make paintings based on everyday life, which I share through solo exhibitions and other shows.
When and where do you usually listen to music?
While working (mainly during inking and finishing), while making paintings (analogue work), commuting, walking — whenever I'm on my own, there's almost always something playing.
What song would you like to share with us today?
"Adrift" by "Tycho", from the album "Dive".
Listen on Apple Music ›
How and when did you first come across this song?
Around 2012, I remember discovering it at a listening station in Tower Records in Shinjuku. I bought the CD at the time, and later picked up the vinyl around 2021.
Do you have any particular memories or moments you associate with this song?
This is a song I've been coming back to for well over a decade now. Doing housework. Walking. Staring out at the view. Making paintings. Finishing up illustrations. All kinds of moments — and every time I listen, I find myself wrapped in this quiet, vast sense of scale and a gentle kind of uplift.
How do you feel this song has influenced who you are today?
"Tycho"'s music has a way of naturally overlapping with my own sensibility — in daily life and in the studio — which is why I keep returning to it.
"Adrift" in particular conjures exactly what the title suggests — an image of drifting, floating without anchor.
When I listen to it in everyday life, my awareness shifts toward the depth and breadth of what's in front of me — and there are moments when the time passing feels just a little richer.
When I listen while making work, it stirs something in me — a desire to encounter images I haven't found yet. A feeling that I'm still developing, that there are still places I could go.
Is there any music you've been listening to lately, or any artists you've been interested in?
"Mount Kimbie" — "THE SUNSET VIOLENT" "MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning" "Love What Survives" "Black Stone", "Pinkshinyultrablast" — "GRANDFEATHERED" "MISERABLE MIRACLES", "My Bloody Valentine" — "Loveless", "DIIV" — "Oshin", "Bat For Lashes" — "LOST GIRLS", "LEO TAKAMI" — "FELIS CATUS ＆ SILENCE", "Portico Quartet" — "Art In The Age Of Automation", "Tycho" — "Dive" "Epoch" "Weather", "Hitsuji Bungaku" (羊文学) — "12 hugs (like butterflies)" "Burning" "Dogs", "NUMBER GIRL" — "Shibuya ROCK TRANSFORMED State" (シブヤROCK TRANSFORMED状態), "eastern youth" — "Soko Kara Nani ga Mieru ka" (其処カラ何ガ見エルカ) "Kumo Inuke Goe" (雲射抜ケ声). These are all records and tracks I return to regularly.
An artist I've been drawn to recently is a band called "Yellow mo" — I found them on YouTube. I love the song "Margaret".
The most recent record I bought is "ETERNAL SOMETHING" by "DANIEL BLANDT". The fourth track, "Turn Over", is something else. It left me feeling like my soul had been quietly polished.
Is there anything you make a point of doing in your everyday life?
Honouring what I love.
Knowing when enough is enough.
Finding my own way to enjoy things in the flow of daily life, and really savouring them.
Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or announcements you'd like to share?
In November, I'll be showing work at LUMINE ART FAIR, an annual group exhibition I participate in each year.
LUMINE ART FAIR ›In December, I'll be holding a solo exhibition at POOTLE in Shin-Daita, Tokyo.
POOTLE ›
PROFILE
Hiroki Nishiyama
Born 1985. Illustrator based in Tokyo. Completed his graduate studies at Tama Art University. Known for an approach that interprets subjects through color planes and composition, he creates illustrations across a wide range of formats. Major works include window art at Shinjuku Lumine 1, an in-store leaflet for the Shiseido 150th anniversary "A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY" at SHISEIDO THE STORE, tour merchandise for "KIRINJI", and covers for Shūkan Bunshun, a leading Japanese weekly magazine. As an artist, he primarily creates paintings rooted in everyday life.
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