Jae Yong Kim loves donuts. Being an artist was his dream, and instead of eating them, he decided to use them as a canvas.

In 2012, Kim put his first solo show of donuts on display. The exhibition “Lust for Donuts” was a concept he was working on since 2010. Most of his work used to contain little colours due to colour-blindness. He used these donuts as a basis for making colour tests and ended up feeling comfortable with the results. The overwhelming response helped him to overcome his fear of using colours and revolutionised his donuts. “Do Not Fear” is his message to the world. “Each donut is hard-thrown, hand-painted and then glazes – and no two are alike”.

Kim sees his work as a visual language that delivers smiles in a time where life isn’t always easy. The more challenges he faces, the brighter and shinier his work tends to be. It gives him strength and joy while creating it. Besides creating donuts, Kim teaches ceramics at the Seoul National University of Science and Technology.

Transforming a small ceramic design into a large 2D carpet is an interesting creative process. The interpretation of the design changes so finding the right designs was a fun challenge, with a very exciting outcome.