Since its birth in 2018, Tokyo Love Hotels has showcased over 300 local and international artists, pop ups, and performance acts. In collaboration with Metropolis, Tokyo Love Hotels cherry-picks 3 talents each month to be featured as LOVEHO SELECTS, showcasing artists and small businesses to readers and culture enthusiasts alike.

“Tokyo Love Hotels is an art-event organization based in Tokyo, Japan, that gathers local and international talents of all ranges to share a night of art, music, experiences, and love with the community. They support artists by providing space for them to perform, promote, network, sell, and exhibit their work; free of charge and commission.”

Artist: RHYME

LoveHo says: 

The one and only, RHYME. We’ve never met an artist as multifaceted, charismatic, and performance-breathing as RHYME. Whether it’s live performances, DJing, playing the koto or ice skating, she does it with a sense of style, grace, and perfection that’s hard to match. Once you have met or seen her perform, With an unforgettable “purple aura,” RHYME is sure to leave you with an impression and taste of natural-born stardom. One of her first performances was at Tokyo Love Hotels, and we are thrilled to see how far her drive, motivation, and talent have taken her.

Biography:

RHYME drives deep on her own lane in a self-titled genre of her own. Through poetry and sound she masterfully collides the newness of our ever-changing world with the echoes of the genres that have marked both cities and decades on their own such as Rock & Roll, Spoken Word, Electronic, Electro/Techno, Hip Hop, and Experimental. RHYME plays the saxophone (alto and Soprano), the Japanese koto, and the piano, programming her compositions on Ableton.

Now, based in Tokyo and specializing in art-centric audiovisual creations, she blends her take on Japanese culture and poetry with her unique musical genre and storytelling abilities. She is recognized in the fashion industry, continuously showcasing for brands such as DIOR, YSL, Dolce & Gabbana, Dom Pérignon and performing at festivals like PLAYTIME FESTIVAL (Mongolia) and GREEN-ROOM FESTIVAL (Japan).

Discovered in Japan as the muse of “RHYME.SO”, a collaborating unit made up by a legend of the Japanese music scene, Shinichi Osawa, RHYME shows us that beyond muse, she’s also an artist… and one with extraordinary talents for songwriting & production. 

Hence, RHYME has garnered accolades from BILLBOARD, ATTITUDE, FLAUNT Magazine, Women in Pop, EARMILK, and other staples in the industry. She has co-produced the anime and movie soundtracks BANANA FISH and DINER in Japan. RHYME music supervisors and creatively incorporates her visions of Music experiences with brands such as Dom Perignon and Shibuya Sky.

Message from RHYME:
“If you are reading this, then something purple is blooming inside of you💜”

Official Website:
www.rhyme-records.com

Instagram:
@_rhyme_

Brand: Awesome boy

LoveHo says: 

If you’re a fan of vintage or remake clothing, we highly recommend the Awesome Boy store. Located in the heart of Harajuku, Tokyo, Awesome Boy is both a store and a brand, filled with one-of-a-kind street remake garments. Inspired by American vintage, the designer showcases a seemingly limitless imagination and a fine taste with his cut-and-sew pieces. Not to mention how friendly the shop staff are. Awesome Boy’s designs are a blend of unique, eclectic, and trendsetting styles, and due to this you’re almost guaranteed to leave with a few shopping bags.

Biography:
Original remake brand.

Message from Awesome Boy:
“Please visit our store when you come to Harajuku.”

Store Details:
〒150-0001 2F Hemle Harajuku, 4-26-28 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
OPEN-CLOSE 12:00-20:00

Instagram:
@awesomeboy_vintage

Artist: Ousmane Bâ

LoveHo says: 

Ousmane’s art provides a perfect blend of French and Japanese aesthetics. His peculiar yet interestingly human figures and body frames are portrayed through various mediums. Ousmane’s series of dancing figures created with Japanese washi paper, has gained traction worldwide and are featured in renowned galleries spanning from New York and South Africa to France and more. We are always delighted to see a fellow Tokyo-based creative who has showcased with us at Tokyo Love Hotels earn the recognition they deserve, out in the world! 

Biography:
Born and raised in Strasbourg, France, Ousmane Bâ earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from L’Institut Supérieur des Arts Appliqués. 

While managing startups in Europe, developing analysis capabilities and also understanding human psychology and design, Ousmane was inspired to become an artist. His odyssey began with an exploration of the Japanese arts, inspiring his decision to move to Japan to develop his technique and style in 2017. 

His work has since been featured in a variety of Japanese galleries such as Fukagawa Garage, Trunk Hotel and Kantaland, to mention a few. 

Today, Ousmane takes a new course in his work. He considers himself a rebel, dancing between painting and digital drawing, on a mission to construct a tangible representation of a paradise promised – inner peace. 

Message from Ousmane Bâ:
Japan-based, French-born artist Ousmane Bâ is interested in exploring movement in his monumental painting Le Ballet Aérien (2022). In it, several figures are shown mid-dance against an off-white background. There’s a certain tension to their bodies as they contract their muscles and contort in ways that don’t feel entirely natural.

The wonderment on this three-panel canvas is enhanced by the Bâ’s attention to stark negative space and the fact that the figures are composed of collaged cut-outs of abstract Japanese paper (washi) meticulously dyed using the Katazome technique. Bâ, who was on hand during the VIP preview Thursday, said he was interested in looking at movement because “the beginning of everything is movement—life, the Big Bang is a movement.”

Instagram:
@ousmane_the1st