Pop Goes the Donut

Lyons Wier Gallery is pleased to present “Pop Goes the Donut” by Jae Yong Kim.

Akin to Pop artists before him, Jae Yong Kim’s work elicits an immediate visceral response. In this case, “DONUTS!” His motif is instantly recognizable and the viewer can’t subdue their immediate hankering for these sculptures. Concurrently, a parallel effect also takes hold of the viewer. Similar to being in a donut shop, a synesthesia effect causes each color to render a flavor and a sweet and/or savory dream starts to unfold.

As these dreams develop, deeper meanings begin to emerge. Distinguishing colors, patterns and appliques start aligning themselves with art historical and pop culture references. By utilizing techniques resembling the paint drips of Jackson Pollack,rendering dots like Yayoi Kusama or giving a subtle nod towards Claes Oldenburg, Kim’s work tells a rich story about consumption and consumerism in the art world and beyond.

Jae Yong Kim states, “Without my intention, references to Pop Art have been a consistent occurrence throughout the entirety of the donut artworks. Questioning myself regarding the donuts falling in line with a specific genre has brought questions and need for understanding. Each individual donut has invariably read to me as a small painting; color, pattern and physicality have been the ultimate procedure for my personal expression. How can these miniature sculpture/paintings speak out as largerworks ? Investigating Pop artists that have come before me act as a bridge to a sensible starting point for new works. Donut groupings that dictate popular artworks show a rich sense of history and are an observation of American contemporary art, especially Pop art. Finding the strength within certain artists and developing them into donut artworks establishes a new ground of relief sculpture studied through painting.”

Each unique sculpture has a clear and concise conversation loaded with its own attraction and dialogue. Kim’s obvious use of familiar motifs begs the question “is the viewer visually consuming a donut, an artwork, or the art world at large?” “Is Kim’s work a caustic comment on the art world’s rampant strides towards mass consumerism or possibly a poignant statement about the gluttonous effects of an over-caloric ‘art’ community or is it simply a treat?”