When Ryota Daimon has an airbrush compressor, his weapon of choice, in hand, no surface is out of the question. Whether a Corvette coupe, a fit destined for rap royalty, or maybe a humble canvas, each bears the same level of devotion because there is no true “best place” for his art to live. Eyes are often emblazoned across his works — heavy lids rest atop gazes that exude a discernible curiosity. It’s a nod to how Daimon sees himself and how he imagines the world looking back. “I’m trying to be a part of history,” he explains.

Born and based in Tokyo, the self-taught artist has built a reputation for his surreal, airbrushed worlds. Images that echo the velocity of street culture and skateboarding, his other pastime, all tempered with sentimentality and an irreverent edge. The worlds of music and fashion have embraced Daimon just as much as the art ecosystem, and his touch doesn’t discriminate. Whether he’s working on a canvas, a Louis Vuitton bag, or a custom car, his aesthetic remains consistent. It allows him to move in between cultural arenas without diluting his vision.

Skate culture, unsurprisingly, is foundational to this kind of fluency. “Skaters have a unique way of thinking. I like the way they see the world,” he notes. “Being surrounded by these types of people helped me realize what I want to express and allowed me to be part of the creative world.” His paintings radiate with a similar instinct-over-overthinking ethos, too kinetic to be contained.

Before picking up the compressor, Daimon honed his skills as a kid with a brush and sumi ink. He was inspired by the art hung in his grandmother’s house, which he credits as the foundation of his creative universe. From this, he gained technical chops — precision, restraint, and a respect for classical Japanese calligraphy. Later, as a teenager, his work began to take on more street art flavor under the influence of graffiti, skate culture, and Taro Okamoto’s explosive brand of abstraction.

He arrived at his current medium several years after dropping out of university, where he had been studying architecture. “I dropped out and started doing airbrush, just learning by myself,” he explains. “It’s hard for me to say why I like it, but I can control exactly what I imagine.”

Take “Unity” (2024). Two figures’ hands clasped together in a steady interlock, bound by a crisp dragon tattoo stretched across their knuckles. Another work, “Blessed Dog” (2025), revels in a similar, albeit recursive, kind of electric intimacy: an airbrushed image inside another where one of Daimon’s droopy-eyed pups sits atop a spill of blond hair.

The works pull from daily life but refract it through a fantastical lens, tuned to a glossy, screen-fed present. Bashful monsters tear through smoky landscapes. Tightly cropped eyes, lips, and nails glow with the impossible sheen of overtly Photoshopped images. His subjects are often recurring: a spiky-haired demon, angels, and mythical dog-faced creatures inspired by his pit bull terrier, Mac, each evoking mischief and charm. Daimon thrives on contradiction: good and bad, heaven and hell. “Just like matcha tastes bitter and sweet, this combination creates depth within the artworks,” he explains. The artist uses duality as a means to play on nuances and complexities; a way to accept life at all of its extremes.

Daimon explains that lately he’s been busy painting tees and travelware for Metro Boomin. The two met a minute back and have formed quite the creative friendship. “A good collab mainly comes from a mutual understanding of each other,” he says. Daimon recalls a visit to his studio, where he painted commissions while the producer made songs. Another time, while on a trip to Daimon’s native Tokyo, the two hit up Shibuya for a night of karaoke.

It’s moments like those that explain why his collaborations fit seamlessly into the world he’s built for himself, be it with a music heavy hitter or major fashion brand. Daimon attributes the success and international resonance of his work to a “deep understanding” of worlds beyond his own: “Having had access to culture beyond Japan from a young age has allowed me to have a broader way of thinking when it comes to what I’m able to tap into.”

His work has turned the heads of a growing number of other notable names, too. In the last few years he’s created a sculptural installation with Nike, live-painted a car at Jordan Brand / Cactus Jack / Fragment, as well as designed a custom helmet for Travis Scott. He’s also been called up by Diesel, BEAMS, GUESS, Amiri, and Heron Preston, and his airbrushed works have been provided to artists such as The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky.

“I’d love to work with Sorayama someday,” he says when asked about his dream collaborator. And as for something he’d like to try in the future? “It would be amazing to paint an airplane,” he adds with a laugh.

For all the accolades he’s accumulated in recent years, Daimon keeps it simple in the studio. “Just a compressor, some good music. A coffee and a cigarette,” he explains, adding that the key ingredient is “no one bothering me.” For all the boldness in his compositions and the celebrity names attached to his work, Daimon’s rise is less of a sprint and more of a steady glide. Like the true skater he is, the artist locks into the line and trusts the momentum.