These Multicolored Ceramic Donuts Look Good Enough to Eat

Coating the classic donut with pop art references, Jae Yong Kim’s layer icons upon icons onto his ceramic creations. His solo show at Lyons Wier Gallery in New York features a varied offering of shapes and flavors: 40 heart-shaped donuts make up a can of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans; Jeff Koons-inspired donuts are topped with teddy bear ears and plated in chrome; while Yayoi Kusama’s famous dots can be spotted atop the more traditional round variety.

Kim, who is slightly colorblind, tried to stay away from color early in his career—but he doesn’t shy away in this series. “When there are certain combinations, I cannot see things,” he tells The Creators Project. “So making these donuts was challenging. It was a long process for me to play with colors and patterns.”

He began the series around three years ago, and some of the baked goods on view have already traveled in exhibitions across the world. The groupings that make up a single “painting” and more pointedly cite pop art, however, are making their debut in the current Pop Goes the Donut exhibition. “These are more of a unit. A bunch of donuts become one,” comments the artist.