“POP ODY$$EY” consists of works from various periods in the first 15 years of Jay Cabalu’s art practice. Jay’s process reappropriates the visual language of magazines and comic books, culled to create highly meticulous collages. In this early-career survey, Jay showcases his reverence for the pop tradition of Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Richard Hamilton. Updating classic themes from the genre, Jay’s work comments on intersections between consumerism, celebrity culture, politics, and self-representation in the digital age.

“I started making art when I was very young, but when I was a kid I was more interested in consuming mass amounts of pop culture. After my family immigrated to Burnaby, BC in 1991, I collected hundreds of comic books and magazines and binged television. In a post-9/11 landscape, I started my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts and quickly branded myself as a pop artist, turning to my hoarded stash of magazines to create my work. After 15 years, I have cultivated an even deeper sense of irony for the promise of capitalism, and the harsh reality it delivers.” – Jay Cabalu