At Spring Break Art Show NYC, artist Mimi O Chun transforms everyday objects into oversized sculptures that challenge viewers to reconsider consumer culture, and inequality.
What happens when an ordinary can of iced tea becomes larger than a person?
What happens when a bag of takeout trash feels monumental?
What happens when a bowl of homemade stew becomes a symbol of a global experience shared by millions?
For artist Mimi O Chun, these questions are at the center of her work.
At Spring Break Art Show NYC, Mimi presents a compelling body of sculptures that transform familiar objects into oversized monuments, encouraging viewers to examine the systems, habits, and inequalities hidden within everyday life.
During my conversation with Mimi, we discussed her creative process, the impact of the pandemic on her work, living and working in New York City, and how art can create conversations about capitalism, labor, waste, and consumption.
Finding Meaning in Everyday Objects
One of the most striking aspects of Mimi’s work is her ability to elevate ordinary objects into something extraordinary.
Rather than focusing on grand historical events or distant subjects, she looks closely at the items that surround us every day.
A bowl of stew.
A bar of soap.
A disposable bag.
An Arizona Iced Tea can.
A pigeon.
Objects so common that most people barely notice them.
Yet through scale, context, and presentation, Mimi transforms these familiar items into sculptures that demand attention.
By enlarging everyday objects, she asks viewers to slow down and reconsider their relationship with the things they encounter daily.
What stories do these objects tell?
What systems created them?
What do they reveal about contemporary life?
Art Born During the Pandemic
Several of the works featured in the exhibition were created during or shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like many artists, Mimi found herself observing dramatic changes in daily routines and collective behavior.
One sculpture takes the form of an oversized bowl of chickpea stew inspired by a recipe that became widely shared online during lockdown.
The work reflects a moment when millions of people around the world found themselves cooking at home, relying on pantry staples, and adapting to a new reality.
Although everyone experienced the pandemic differently, certain rituals became universal.
Preparing meals.
Sharing recipes.
Finding comfort in simple acts of care.
The sculpture captures that collective experience while highlighting how ordinary activities suddenly took on new significance.
Soap as a Symbol
Another notable work features bars of soap arranged on ropes.
At first glance, the sculpture may appear playful.
But its meaning is rooted in one of the defining messages of the pandemic era.
Wash your hands.
Again and again.
Every day.
Throughout the crisis, soap became an unlikely cultural icon.
Public health messaging transformed an everyday household product into a symbol of responsibility, safety, and survival.
Mimi’s sculpture serves as both a reminder of that moment and a reflection on how quickly objects can take on new meaning during times of crisis.
Examining Consumer Culture
While the pandemic provided inspiration for several works, Mimi’s broader practice examines larger questions surrounding capitalism and consumption.
Many of her sculptures explore the relationship between people and the products they use, discard, and often overlook.
In the exhibition booth, visitors encounter enlarged versions of disposable items such as beverage containers, packaging, and other forms of urban waste.
By increasing their scale by hundreds of percent, Mimi shifts the viewer’s perspective.
Suddenly, objects that usually seem insignificant become impossible to ignore.
The transformation encourages reflection on waste, consumer habits, environmental impact, and the systems that shape modern life.
Becoming Small Again
One of the most fascinating ideas behind Mimi’s work is the way scale changes perception.
By enlarging everyday objects, she creates an environment where viewers feel unusually small.
Like children.
Like tiny creatures navigating a world built by someone else.
The experience invites visitors to see familiar objects from an entirely different perspective.
A discarded cup becomes architecture.
A bag becomes a landscape.
A pigeon becomes a towering presence.
This shift in scale creates both humor and critical reflection, encouraging viewers to question assumptions about the environments they move through every day.
Living and Working in New York
Mimi credits New York City as an important source of inspiration.
The city offers an endless stream of visual information, social observations, and cultural experiences.
Every neighborhood presents new stories.
Every street offers new details.
For an artist interested in examining systems of consumption, labor, inequality, and public life, New York provides a constant source of material.
She describes herself as someone who continuously absorbs information, whether through news, media, daily observations, or conversations.
Ideas can arrive anywhere.
At any time.
The challenge is remembering them.
Capturing Ideas Before They Disappear
Like many artists, Mimi maintains an ongoing archive of thoughts and observations.
Her iPhone contains a running list simply dedicated to future projects and ideas.
Whenever inspiration strikes, she records it.
A phrase.
A visual image.
A concept.
A social observation.
A potential sculpture.
The list continues to grow.
Alongside the digital notes are scattered Post-it notes attached to monitors and workspaces.
Together they form a constantly evolving collection of possibilities waiting to become artwork.
For Mimi, inspiration isn’t something that arrives on a schedule.
It is something that must be captured whenever it appears.
Art as Public Dialogue
One of the most important aspects of exhibiting work publicly is the opportunity for conversation.
Mimi welcomes visitors who want to engage directly with the work, ask questions, or share their reactions.
At the same time, she understands that some viewers prefer a more personal experience.
Both approaches are valid.
What matters most is the dialogue that emerges between artwork and audience.
As she explained, art only fully comes alive when it enters the public sphere and begins interacting with viewers.
The conversation becomes part of the work itself.
Final Thoughts
What makes Mimi O Chun’s sculptures so compelling is their ability to balance humor, accessibility, and critical reflection.
The work is visually engaging and immediately approachable.
Yet beneath the playful scale and familiar imagery lies a deeper examination of consumer culture, labor, inequality, environmental concerns, and collective experiences.
By transforming ordinary objects into extraordinary monuments, Mimi encourages viewers to pause and reconsider the world around them.
The result is work that feels simultaneously personal, political, and universal.
At Spring Break Art Show NYC, her sculptures remind us that sometimes the most important stories are hiding in plain sight—inside the objects we use every day.
About Tarik Talk Podcast
Tarik Talk Podcast is an international arts and culture podcast hosted by artist Tarik Mendes. With more than 200 episodes across 50 seasons filmed in over 10 countries, the podcast features conversations with artists, curators, museum professionals, collectors, cultural leaders, and creative innovators from around the world.
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