Yusuke Hanai 'Heart To Heart' Sculpture + Print Application Ending Soon

Artist: Yusuke Hanai
Title: Heart To Heart
Medium: Vinyl Figure + Giclee Print
Size: 9.6 Inches (7 x 5 Inch Print)
Edition: 500
Price: HK$2,980

Yusuke Hanai, born in Kanagawa, Japan, in 1978, is a highly sought-after artist and illustrator recognized for his unique graphic style that merges Japanese aesthetic sensibilities with retro American illustration. His work is heavily influenced by the counterculture movements of the 1950s and 1960s, including surfing, psychedelic rock, and the Beat writers like Jack Kerouac. Hanai's artistic journey began when he was inspired by the work of legendary Grateful Dead album cover artist Rick Griffin, which led him to move to San Francisco in 2003 to study illustration at the Academy of Art.

Hanai's signature style features pared-down lines and a cast of recognizable, often grumpy, "slacker" characters that capture humorous and poignant moments of the human condition. These figures are not typically superheroes but rather ordinary people dealing with life's ups and downs, reflecting Hanai's belief that everyone is unique and imperfect. His art often contemplates the relationship between man and nature, showcasing themes of perseverance, balance, and the importance of human connection amidst chaos and struggle.

Active both in Japan and internationally, Hanai has showcased his paintings, drawings, and sculptures in galleries and exhibitions across cities like New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo. A significant part of his career involves extensive collaborations with major brands such as Vans, Uniqlo, Beams, and Nixon, which have brought his distinctive artwork to a global audience. Hanai, who is also a devoted surfer, finds inspiration in everyday life and the diverse personalities he encounters, aiming to create art that is "solid and beautiful" and encourages a positive attitude. His work for an elementary school mural program in California also highlights his commitment to helping children through art education.

Yusuke Hanai 'Cooperation' Sculpture Application Ending Soon

Artist: Yusuke Hanai
Title: Cooperation
Medium: Bronze Sculpture
Size: 15.9 x 30 x 15.9 cm
Edition: 18
Prices: $12,000

  

Yusuke Hanai is a Japanese artist born in Kanagawa in 1978 whose friendly figures and wavy landscapes channel 1960s California surf culture. At seventeen he discovered the psychedelic concert posters of Rick Griffin and felt an instant pull toward bold outlines, sun baked palettes and storytelling line work. That passion led him to San Francisco in 2003 to study illustration at the Academy of Art, where nights spent sketching buskers and oceanfront drifters shaped his compassionate cast of characters.

Hanai returned to Japan with a signature style that mixes ukiyo e simplicity with skateboard graphics. His recurring everyman, a round nosed wanderer with floppy hair, appears in wood panel paintings, large wall murals and limited silkscreens, often shown sitting quietly with coffee, casting a fishing line into impossible waves, or simply gazing at wide open skies. Flat color blocks and rhythmic contour lines give the scenes a mellow pulse, while subtle shadows hint at inner solitude, balancing cheerfulness with contemplation.

Exhibitions in Tokyo, New York, London and São Paulo have carried his vision far beyond coastal Japan, and collaborations with Uniqlo, Greenroom Festival and Vans have placed his art on shirts, sneakers and hotel walls, proving that handmade warmth can thrive in commercial contexts. Whether he is carving a small wooden fish, printing a three meter woodcut, or painting a live mural while surfers wait for waves, Hanai invites viewers to slow down, breathe salty air and remember that quiet moments hold their own quiet power.