The Wish Less gallery is so named for a reason. Located on a quiet backstreet of Tabata in Tokyo, it advocates "wishing less" and "acting more" by offering itself as a meeting place for visitors to discover and talk about new art.

"We wanted somewhere that people could come and meet others, and where we could show the people what we love," says Wish Less co-owner Rob Kidney. "Instead of a white cube, where visitors are quiet, this is more like one side of a person's house."

"The first thing we did for the gallery was to build a DJ booth," Kidney explains. "Many were surprised to hear that, but music is the backbone of my inspiration, and it is for a lot of the artists who we show, too. Vinnie Nylon is a massive music fan."

With Kidney spinning records and the gallery space housing antiques, clothing and zines in a friendly, almost cafe-like atmosphere, the British pop artist Vinnie Nylon's current show "Nylonatronik," suits Wish Less particularly well.

A graffiti artist since 1985, Nylon's inspiration stems from punk music, skateboarding, peace movements and his lifelong obsession with collecting postwar-era toys, such as pin badges, comics and vinyl dolls.

"The very, very beginning (of finding inspiration) was when I was about 8, and it was probably punk," says Nylon who, at a recent interview, reflects a little of that influence through the safety-pin-decorated jacket he's wearing. "I would draw soldiers, airplanes and Godzilla — and then the punks would come in. Art was a way that you could put anything into a mix and just play with it. To some degree, that's what I still do."

After Nylon finished college in 1987, he spent years creating commercial work as well as his personal graffiti and street art. But it was not until 2012 that he held "Poptimism," his first solo exhibition in London. "Nylonatronik" is the artist's debut outside of his native country, and it's not a shy show. He takes the pop side of his work to the extreme, often using bright primary colors and paying homage to his favorite childhood characters and artistic heroes, such as the Smurfs, Michelin Man and Keith Haring.

These are not throwaway references to the past, however. Nylon uses nostalgic icons to comment on culture today. "Big Push," which features a one-eyed Michelin Man-like character rolling a doughnut instead of a tire, he explains, "is a modern message about obesity" — a reference to a recent British public health campaign aimed at children. Similarly, "Deconstructed Smurfette David" — a blend of the popular cartoon with Picasso's cubist "The Weeping Woman" — illustrates the history of advertising's overlap with modern art. There are some similarities to the graphic style of Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami, who Nylon says he was excited to meet for the first time during his visit to Japan, and whose work he admires.

But Nylon's choice of canvas' — recycled wooden boards, cigar boxes and even steel gasoline cans — continues that overlap of advertising and art in a more tangible 3-D form.

"I like the vintage petrol cans especially," he says. "I started buying them and painting them because it's a throwback to the Americana of the 1950s, so I'm fusing different things. The (design) appears more '80s looking, but it's on a '50s can."

It's perhaps the fact that Nylon's work takes on familiar imagery in a way that transcends time and eras that makes his work appealing to a wide audience.

"A lot of ladies, as well as people interested in fashion and street graffiti kids (have visited the show)," says Yoko Nagai, Wish Less' other co-owner. The mix of visitors, which included elderly people, toddlers, art critics and kawaii-obsessed teens, is something Nylon seems to enjoy.

"Even if (the work) was on walls in England, I wouldn't want it to be prescriptive and tell people what it should or shouldn't mean," he says. "But I think the lineage or the influence is certain for the people who grew up seeing what (our generation) did — they will get the references. References to Keith Haring, New York culture and pop art — it's all in there."

"Nylonatronik" at Wish Less runs till April 19; open Wed.-Fri. 4-9 p.m. (Sat., Sun. 12 noon-7 p.m.). Free admission. Closed Mon., Tue. www.wish-less.com