Teshima Ryo continues to create works based on the theme of the preciousness of life in these uncertain times. Even amidst ongoing crises like wars and the COVID-19 pandemic, new lives begin. At the same time, however, he has felt deep sorrow over the situations in which those lives are threatened. Featured at the center of this exhibition is BABYBOY™, a baby hero born in our time. A baby warrior who rises up to protect the lives of the next generation is a symbol of hope for the future. The works are created through a unique process that combines digital painting on a large virtual monitor using Apple Vision Pro with hand-drawn retouching after printing. The intersection of cutting-edge technology and the warmth of analog creates expressions that combine a retro-futuristic texture with warmth.
NEO(n) YEAR - unicorn
2025
Digital printing, Partial UV coating, and Partial neon colors on wood
100 x 130 x 3 cm
NEO(n) YEAR - unicorn
2025
Digital printing, Partial UV coating, and Partial neon colors on wood
100 x 130 x 3 cm
Dream in Rose
2025
Digital printing, and Partial UV coating on wood
90 x 70 cm
Live in Olive
2025
Digital printing, and Partial UV coating on wood
90 x 70 cm
Color in Calla
2025
Digital printing, and Partial UV coating on wood
90 x 70 cm
Color in Calla
2025
Digital printing, and Partial UV coating on wood
90 x 70 cm
Teshima Ryo
Originally from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, he graduated from the Department of Graphic Design at Tama Art University. After working as a creative director and art director at Hakuhodo Inc., he founded the creative company Keiko TOKYO and the design office DESIGN BOY. He had been active for many years in visual work, primarily in advertising, but around 2020 he began to focus on his artistic career, releasing artwork and music. In October 2025, after a serious illness, he held his first solo exhibition, BABYBOY™ - NEO(n) BIRTH.
Is this your Nth year of beginnings?
How many times has this New Year happened for you?
It’s not something that resets every year; it’s connected to the past and the future.
Important people, precious spaces, experiences, and time.
The things we take for granted are not, in fact, obvious.
Every moment creates and supports you.
I believe the New Year is a very important time for us to confirm this awareness and correct any irregularities.
BABYBOY™ is a character born during a calamity as a symbol of ‘hope for a future where children are free from harm.’
Two months ago, for my first solo exhibition in Ningyocho, NEO(n) BIRTH, I depicted the birth of BABYBOY™ and “a story of finding hope amidst the flames of war.” This NEO(n) YEAR is a sequel to that.
It's a search for the answer to the question, “How will a being born again live?"...it's truly my first drawing.
Why NEO(n) YEAR?
This exhibition is not simply a celebration of the beginning of the new year.
I feel that it is “a year in which the world will be reborn.”
In these times, which are said to have shifted to the Age of Air, systemic changes are occurring frequently in various communities.
How can we shine amidst all this?
Since 2020, I have lived through a world of calamity, and my own experience of recovering from a serious illness has informed my belief in NEO(n) BIRTH that we can be continuously reborn.
When announcing this sequel, NEO(n) YEAR, I wanted to depict a story based on the underlying feeling of a transition/crossroads in this incredible era.
I hope you enjoy this exhibition, which I have put together with my own thoughts on the subject.
Teshima Ryo