Tokyo Ephemera                            

2026

For the unofficial and the everyday.
For the fleeting things we rarely think twice about.
For the things made to be used, held for a moment, and thrown away.
And for the things never meant to last, but somehow stay with us.

In 2026, I moved to Tokyo.

In an increasingly digital world, Japan still seems to hold on to many everyday rituals involving printed matter. Perfume blotter strips, exhibition leaflets, restaurant menus, clothing tags, packaging and small cards are everywhere. After a casual day out, I often find a handful of these little pieces of

paper in my bag. Each has its own shape, color and texture, and is often made with surprisingly high-quality  paper. They are meant to be temporary, yet I began to feel that throwing them away was a little wasteful.

So I started drawing on them. I let the shape, color and texture of each piece guide what I draw, turning these otherwise disposable printed materials into something new.

Sometimes there is room for only a tiny graphic; other times, there’s a whole blank space to play with. Each piece comes with its own little challenge, ledding me to reconsider the relationship between drawing and design, and how to make an image within a limited space. Somewhere along the way, I found myself feeling like a kid again, doodling in the margins of my schoolbooks during

class.

Now, collecting these little pieces of paper has become a habit. Whenever I go out, I find myself keeping an eye out for them. I never know what I might come across next, and that’s part of the fun. It feels a little like receiving tiny gifts from the city.

2026年，我搬来东京。

在这个一切都在走向电子化的时代，日本似乎还保留着许多与纸张有关的日常。生活中随处可见各种各样的印刷品：香水店的试香纸、展览的宣传册、餐厅的菜单，甚至买衣服时附带的包装和卡片。

每次出门闲逛，包里总会留下几张小卡片。它们原本只是一次性的印刷品，却有着各不相同的造型、色彩和纸张质感，而且往往用料讲究。渐渐地，我开始觉得，就这样把它们丢掉，似乎有些可惜。

于是，我开始在这些纸张上画画。根据不同的形状、颜色和纸张质感，在上面画下不同的东西。就这样，这些原本即将被丢弃的印刷品，拥有了第二次生命。

有时，画面只能容纳一个小小的 图形；有时，又能在大面积的空白中找到发挥的空间。这些不同的限制，让我重新思考绘画与设计之间的关系，以及如何在有限的空间里画画。在这个过程中，我找回了一种熟悉的感觉，像小时候上课的时候在课本的空白处随手画的插图。

慢慢地，我养成了一个习惯：每次出门，都会特意留意和收集生活中遇到的各种纸张。我永远不知道下一次会遇见什么样的印刷品，就像永远不知道生活会在什么时候送来一份小小的礼物。