This 8-inch diameter work by SOCKO represents the artist's first portrait of a musician, Louis Armstrong, and echoes the enduring optimism of "What a Wonderful World." This playful yet deeply reflective work captures the intersection of music, memory, and imagination.
The work features the artist's recurring character, Dough, who is defined by bright, joyful eyes and a warm, expressive smile. The character serves as a vessel for collective memory and nostalgia, drawing from SOCKO's childhood experiences across South Korea, Canada, Los Angeles, and New York.
Through Dough, the artist merges personal history with universal emotion, building an imaginative visual world that invites connection, reflection, and warmth.
About the Artist:
SOCKO (Sae Hoon Jang) (1993) was born in Seoul, Korea. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, earning his BFA in 2019 and his MPS in 2021. Drawing from his past associations with fashion, the moniker SOCKO serves as both an alter ego and a mission statement. Defined as "stunningly effective, aiming at the target," the name resonates with SOCKO's artistic intentions. He states, "I want to spread my art into people's lives forever and hit that target, connecting with people effectively."
Recent solo exhibitions of SOCKO's work have been held at A Hug from the Art World in New York City; Long Story Short Gallery in New York City; VLAB Gallery in Madrid; Maison Ozmen in Paris; Lorin Gallery in Los Angeles; and Kantor Gallery in Beverly Hills.