Soo Min Kim, a Seoul-based artist, transforms ordinary Starbucks cups into miniature works of art, challenging perceptions of everyday objects. Since 2012, Kim has used the iconic mermaid logo as the central figure in his creations.
Kim's artistic toolkit is surprisingly simple: white paint, a green marker, and a boundless imagination. He elevates the humble coffee cup from a symbol of consumerism to a canvas for artistic expression. The familiar mermaid logo, recognized globally, becomes a blank slate for Kim's imaginative narratives. He playfully subverts the logo's original purpose, By placing the mermaid in unexpected contexts, he encourages viewers to see the logo, and the cup itself, in a new light.
His artistic process is a blend of meticulous planning and spontaneous inspiration. He often starts with a concept, sketching out his ideas and visualizing the final artwork in a new light.These miniature narratives invite viewers to pause and engage with the artwork, prompting them to consider the stories behind the image.
Kim's journey, from a simple idea to a recognized art form, serves as an inspiration, demonstrating that creativity can flourish in the most unexpected places, even on a discarded coffee cup.
Through an email interview conducted from February 15th to 22nd, Kim shared insights into his artistic journey.
Please introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is Soo Min in Kim, and I work as a freelance illustrator and paper cup artist. I mainly create artworks by drawing on paper cups, cutting them with a cutter, or using other techniques to transform them into unique pieces.
What inspired you to start using paper cups as your canvas? Was there a specific moment or a gradual realization?
Before I started drawing on paper cups, I went through a phase of experimenting with various objects as canvases. (Of course, I ended up giving up on most of them because they didn’t feel inspiring.) At that time, I had a lazy habit of stacking empty paper cups on my desk after finishing my coffee. One day, I suddenly thought, “What if I tried drawing on these?”—and that was the beginning of everything. Since the surface of a paper cup is made of paper, it was easy to apply colors, and I gradually discovered that its round and three-dimensional shape allowed for diverse forms of expression.
Can you walk us through your creative process, from the initial idea to the finished piece? How long does a typical piece take you?
In the past, my creative process would begin the moment I sat in a cafe, sipping coffee from a paper cup and brainstorming ideas. Once I finished my coffee, I would take the cup back to my studio and start drawing on it. However, a few years ago, the use of paper cups inside cafes was banned due to environmental concerns, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, things changed even further.
These days, I accumulate drawing ideas in my sketchbook in advance, and whenever I come up with something I want to create, I buy a takeout coffee from a cafe. Simple drawings can be completed in just an hour or two, but more intricate, three-dimensional works using a cutter can take up to two or three days to finish.
How many cups have you illustrated since you've started this project? What is your favorite cup or cups that you have ever illustrated?
I officially started this project in 2012, and I remember completing 100 cups exactly one year later. After that, I gave up counting the exact number, but if I include both personal and commercial projects, I believe I’ve created well over 1,000 cups.
Among all the works I’ve done so far, my favorite is TotoroBucks. It’s one of the pieces that required almost every technique I could possibly use on a paper cup.
How do you decide which characters or scenes to depict on the cups? Is it driven by current events, personal interests, or requests from others?
All of the factors you mentioned play a role in my decision, but ultimately, it comes down to how I feel in that moment. My personal projects are fundamentally driven by my own strong desires. No matter how significant an event may be, if I’m not in the right mood, I simply can’t bring myself to create.Of course, this doesn’t apply to commercial projects, as they involve clients and deadlines that must be met.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face when working with paper cups as your medium?
Unlike regular paper or canvas, a paper cup is a three-dimensional object. That’s why I put just as much thought into how the artwork will be presented as I do into what to draw. The best way to experience my work is by seeing it in person, which is why I occasionally hold exhibitions when I have enough pieces ready.
Since I can’t always showcase my work in exhibitions, I also take photos and share them on social media. Rather than a single image, I prefer posting multiple photos taken from different angles—and even more than that, I find videos to be the most effective. I constantly consider the brightness and positioning of the lighting to ensure the best presentation.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future of your paper cup art?
I will continue to express my thoughts and ideas by drawing on paper cups.
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