ISSUE 29: Bobby Kim (Bobby Hundreds)
And his new book, "NFT’s Are A Scam / NFT's Are The Future"
THE YELLOW PAGES is a newsletter recommending Asian and AAPI films, music, writing, and other inspiration — all the artsy things I wished for growing up!
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I first heard of Bobby Kim (aka Bobby Hundreds) when I was still food blogging, back in 2016. When I posted the photo of my poke bowl on theactorsdiet.com, my husband’s cousin Leah emailed me and said, “That’s my friend Bobby’s place— we went to law school together.” It was TikiFish, his first restaurant in West LA, and I wish I still had the picture/post. But they’re all in the past.
It’s a bit funny to me now, looking back, that food/family/law was how I first learned about Bobby. Because his name has since become synonymous in my head for his streetwear brand The Hundreds and how good his taste in all things is. Bobby is someone I have come to have a deep respect and admiration for, as a multi-faceted, creative human. I’ve gifted his book This Is Not A T-Shirt several times and am really excited to read his newest one, NFT’s Are A Scam / NFT’s Are The Future which just came out.
It’s with great pleasure to feature Bobby on THE YELLOW PAGES this week. (I can’t wait to share this with Leah.)
Name/Pronouns:
Bobby Kim aka Bobby Hundreds (he/him/his)
Where are you?
Los Angeles, California
What do you do?
I’m a writer, designer, and founder
How do you identify?
I’m Asian-American, specifically Korean-American
You can follow me across all channels @bobbyhundreds. And please subscribe to my Substack (MONOLOGUE)
Some of My Favorite Emerging Asian/Asian-American Artists
It’s always meant a lot to me to see Asian and Asian-American artists out there, being courageous, doing the work. Maybe it’s because I was told from an early age that there was no future in the arts, even though that’s all my heart desired. I was forced to find a roundabout way to get there, establishing my art on a business, so I’m doubly impressed by those who’ve shunned all societal assumptions and cultural expectations to pursue their passions.
There wasn’t much space for Asian-American artists when I was growing up. Instead, I looked to the Asian masters like Nam June Paik, Cai Guo-Qiang, Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama, Park Seo-bo, and Yoshitomo Nara. The talent has always been there, undeniable. But today, we are spoiled with more opportunities and recognition (although still, not nearly enough). There are too many inspirations to count, so I’m sorry if I left off any friends. Here are some of my favorite Asian/Asian-American artists on the come-up.
Korean-American Taylor Lee is a ceramicist who found a niche (pun intended - her handle is @nicheceramics!) crafting an intriguing mix of vintage Japanese figures and full-bodied, “strong women” glazed in swimsuits and smiley faces. Once in a while, she throws in a Godzilla as well. I love how irreverent and humorous the work can be, but considered with sincerity and a masterful skillset. It’s this high-low dance between pop culture and fine art that makes Taylor’s work distinctly hers.
One of my favorite paintings by Ji Woo is of an ‘80s-era group snapshot of young Korean adults hiking. The specific fashion, hairstyles and poses embody her unique style. She somehow captures the nuances of Koreanness over a generation, depicting moments that are reminiscent of memories we’ve never actually owned.
Okay, how best to describe So Youn’s art? It’s ‘90s rave meets cupcake frosting meets ethereal anime, sheathed in a husk of cotton candy. Many of her paintings center around her genderless character Mango and speak to being a Korean immigrant in Los Angeles. Like an award winning dessert, So Youn Lee’s art is easy to enjoy, yet there’s nothing else quite like it.
I feel like an idiot because I only recently discovered Ken Gun Min’s work while at the most recent Miami Art Basel in December. The artist was born in South Korea, but has called San Francisco, Berlin, and Zurich home, and it reflects in his complex and storied paintings. The canvases hold a cornucopia of thoughts, imagery, figures and emotions and arranges them into a sensible symphony. When I observe his work, I never know where to begin and I never want it to end!
Maia is one of my favorite artists because of the breadth and diversity of her work. It’s like she’s several people in one, and it makes sense since she was born in Busan, South Korea, grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal, and now lives out in Colorado. Her most recent work deep-dives in migrant life, deconstructing the rope-wrapped baggage used by migrant workers across Asia and the Middle East and applying the materials to canvas in different ways. Maia’s also the coolest mom ever - just another artform she’s mastered.
Greg Ito’s paintings lean into the graphic visual lane, calling on his Japanese-American heritage and commenting on cultural history (like the internment camps). Greg’s work stands apart, employing signature hues, shapes, and iconography. Many of his themes deal with time, love, and loss. Greg also sits on the other side of the art world as a gallery owner. Along with his wife and friends, Sow and Tailor has become an esteemed name in the curated space by providing a home for other rising artists (one of whom is on this list).
I’m lowkey obsessed with Aryoh’s work. His soft paintings capture fuzzy apparitions of UFOs, pop culture moments, scenes from Los Angeles, and other disjointed moments from Aryoh’s view. But it’s his twilight aesthetic, like fairy-dusted, grainy film, that denotes his essence. I can spot an Aryoh painting from a mile away, but no matter how close I get to it, it’s still not totally in focus. Like that blurry bridge between sleep and wakefulness.
There were plenty of rising art stars over the pandemic, but many of them slowed or fell once the world resumed its course. Anna Park first garnered notoriety for her signature, chaotic charcoal storms, which were memorialized in the poster for 2020’s Best Picture nominee Mank. But it was her latest turn, risking an entirely different style for “Mirror Shy” at Blum and Poe, that catapulted her into the art stratosphere. The jarring pivot was a hit and Park proved that she wasn’t just a COVID-era trend, but a force to be reckoned with.
Los Angeles-based Joe Lee is one of those Korean success stories you don’t wanna tell your parents about. He’s not only an accomplished actor, but a prolific self-taught artist. You’ve most likely seen his work before. He paints portraits in which the subject’s facial features are textured with a kaleidoscopic rainbow of paint dabs and smears. The results are breathtaking and impossible to ignore. I just don’t know how he has time for it all!
Yesss, Stephanie Shih! Such a unique and special artist. Stephanie is a ceramicist who reimagines familiar artifacts and household goods from the Asian-American immigrant experience. She identifies all of those nuanced, unspoken odds and ends that bind our childhoods together: Andes mints, King’s Hawaiian bread, pound cake, and Vienna sausages. By encapsulating these emotional remnants in sculpted form, I’ve never felt so seen.
I first took note of HyeGyeong’s paintings at last year’s Felix Art Fair in Los Angeles. Yes, the colors were brilliant and the paint thick and creamy, but I fell in love with the figures. HyeGyeong’s subjects are epicurean, sensual, and EXTRA. They drown themselves in ice cream (they LOOK like ice cream!). They bathe in streams, frolic in the forest. They’re living their best life and it’s all beautiful and perfect.
Sarah’s established a name for painting fantastical, dreamlike nightscapes, in the quiet junctures where the indigo sky, softness of the snow, and the radiant moonlight converge. Even though much of her art takes place at night, it’s the light that plays a central character in the work. Whether contained in the peeking moon, showering about as firefly embers, or arcing through the trees like a halo, the spirit of light is the magical touch on an otherworldly piece.
Bobby’s Music Mix
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Thank you for all these artist recommendations to follow! LOVE.