Jae Yong Kim makes popular treat a delightful work of art in latest show

Lyons Wier Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting an eclectic collection of work by Jae Yong Kim for the show Pop Goes the Donut. Kim pays homage to the classic treat with delectable ceramic installations covering the gallery walls that vary in shape and design to illustrate the numerous forms and flavors donuts have been created in. Upon viewing these aesthetically pleasing replicas, you truly feel the charm and excitement of entering a donut shop or factory and being amazed at the myriad of choices. Kim incorporates the styles of several influential pop artists while delving into his own innovative style.

For instance, he capitalizes on Andy Warhol’s signature Campbell’s Soup can paintings with works like I Dreamt of Donut Soup featuring several round and heart shaped donuts grouped together to form an image of a Campbell’s “Donut” soup can. Similar works include Donut Soup Dozen featuring four rows of three square shaped donuts forming the same image while Donut Soup Half Dozen and Duet of Donut Soup form the same image with six and two square donuts respectively.

Pumpkin Spice Donut (2016) by Jae Yong Kim

Kim also pays homage to Jeff Koons’ style with themes of childhood innocence with his ceramic and chrome installation of teddy bear-themed treats with his Donut You Love My Teddy Bearseries very much like Koon’s Animal series with his ceramic balloon sculptures of animals varying in color (i.e. Red Balloon Dog, Yellow Balloon Rabbit etc.). In Kim’s case, his works are titled Donut You Love My Red Teddy Bear (other teddy bear variations include blue, yellow, pink, and purple). Kim has also been influenced by artists like Jackson Pollack, Yaoyi Kusama, and Claes Oldenburg who’s also known for his playful sculptures particularly of delicious food including a soft sculpture of a box of donuts, which perhaps inspired the theme for this show.

Other notable works include Pumpkin Spice Donut: Dot-licious where he illustrates the savory flavor with bright yellow and black round and heart shaped treats grouped together with each one topped with a unique pattern many of which include dots as the title suggests, and some having more black than yellow and vice versa. Also of note is a dazzling installation assimilation of donuts forming a circle titled Buy, Sell, and Hold the donuts with white frosting and green and red sprinkles evoking holiday spirit, and Donut Ever Forget Me which is a collection of every type of donut you could ever imagine grouped together.

At Lyons Wier Gallery, 542 W. 24th St., through May 14. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appointment.