Yusuke Toda YUM POM with Adorable Balloons For Sale
Yusuke Toda
YUM POM with Adorable Balloons, 2025
Mixed media on canvas
31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in 80 x 80 cm
About this work
Yusuke Toda's "YUM POM with Adorable Balloons" presents two of the artist's beloved characters suspended in a moment of pure, unbridled joy. The composition centers on Yum and Pom, their rounded forms rendered with Toda's characteristic softness, surrounded by a constellation of colorful balloons that seem to lift the entire scene into a state of weightless celebration. The mixed media approach allows for subtle textural variations across the canvas, with areas of smooth, candy-like pigment contrasting against more tactile passages that invite closer inspection. The palette radiates warmth and optimism, employing the artist's signature pastel tones punctuated by more saturated hues in the balloons themselves. Each balloon appears almost sentient, contributing to the anthropomorphic quality that pervades Toda's universe. The figures of Yum and Pom exhibit their distinctive wide-eyed expressions—simultaneously innocent and knowing—that have become synonymous with the artist's practice. This work exemplifies Toda's ongoing exploration of childhood wonder translated through a contemporary lens. Rather than mere nostalgia, the painting offers a sincere meditation on happiness as a legitimate artistic subject. In an art world often preoccupied with irony and critique, Toda's commitment to joy feels almost radical. The generous 80 x 80 cm format gives the scene room to breathe while maintaining an intimate, approachable scale. "YUM POM with Adorable Balloons" demonstrates why Toda has garnered international attention for his ability to create imagery that resonates across cultural boundaries, speaking a universal language of delight. For inquiries about acquiring this work, please contact Guy Hepner gallery in New York.
Price on Application
Edition & Provenance
- Year
- 2025
- Medium
- Mixed media on canvas

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About the Paintings Series
Yusuke Toda Paintings
Enchanting Worlds of Wonder: The Imaginative Universe of Yusuke Toda
Guy Hepner is pleased to present an exceptional collection of paintings by Yusuke Toda, one of Japan's most captivating contemporary artists whose whimsical figurative works have garnered international acclaim. Toda's distinctive artistic vision centers on a cast of endearing characters—Yum, Mew, Pom, and their charming companions—who inhabit dreamlike scenarios that radiate pure joy, innocence, and boundless imagination. Each canvas serves as a portal into a universe where playfulness reigns supreme and the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary.
The Artist's Vision
Yusuke Toda has established himself as a singular voice in contemporary Japanese art, developing a visual language that bridges the rich traditions of Japanese kawaii culture with sophisticated fine art sensibilities. His paintings possess an immediate accessibility that draws viewers in, yet reveal deeper layers of technical mastery and emotional resonance upon closer examination. Toda's work speaks to the universal human desire to preserve wonder, to find refuge in imagination, and to celebrate the simple pleasures of companionship and play.
The artist's distinctive style is characterized by soft, luminous color palettes, meticulous attention to detail, and compositions that balance whimsy with formal elegance. His figures—rendered with tender care and gentle humor—exist in spaces that feel simultaneously familiar and fantastical. Whether depicting his characters floating through starlit skies, lounging on impossible furniture, or exploring beloved landmarks, Toda creates scenes that invite prolonged contemplation and repeated discovery.
Yum, Mew, Pom, and Friends: A Cast of Characters
At the heart of Toda's artistic universe are his beloved characters, each possessing distinct personalities that shine through in every appearance. Yum, the central figure in many compositions, embodies curiosity and gentle adventure. Mew and Pom serve as faithful companions, their interactions with Yum creating narratives of friendship, exploration, and shared delight. Additional characters, including the charming Shiba Inu and Rin, expand this universe with their own unique qualities, creating a rich ensemble that populates Toda's imaginative landscapes.
These characters transcend mere illustration to become genuine artistic subjects, rendered with the same care and intentionality that masters have applied to portraiture throughout art history. Toda imbues each figure with emotional depth, creating connections between viewer and subject that feel authentic and meaningful. The relationships depicted—characters riding upon one another in Mew on Yum, gathering together in Yum Meets Friends, or dancing joyfully in YUM POM Dancing on the Marshmallow Sofa—speak to fundamental human experiences of connection, play, and belonging.
Exploring the Collection
The paintings available through Guy Hepner demonstrate the remarkable range of Toda's creative imagination while maintaining the cohesive visual identity that defines his oeuvre. Yum's Home offers an intimate glimpse into the domestic realm of these characters, while Yum's Night Flight transports viewers into nocturnal adventures filled with magic and possibility. The juxtaposition between interior comfort and exterior exploration runs throughout the collection, suggesting themes of security and adventure, home and journey.
Works such as YUM POM with Adorable Balloons and YUM POM on the Hanging Chair showcase Toda's ability to transform simple objects—balloons, furniture—into elements of wonder and delight. The marshmallow sofa in *YUM POM Dancing on the Marshmallow

About Yusuke Toda
Yusuke Toda is a Tokyo based painter who studied oil painting at Tama University before working as an assistant to Takashi Murakami, and later to painter Tomokazu Matsuyama, experiences that shaped his technical approach and expressive style.
Toda's work centers on a recurring character, YUM, a monochromatic figure whose world is defined by black and white settings punctuated with bursts of color. Through YUM, Toda explores universal emotional territory, joy, nostalgia, loneliness, and connection, using a deceptively simple visual language to carry more complex feeling underneath. His process begins with hand-drawn sketches, allowing spontaneous ideas to guide the composition before he builds up bold outlines and layered color.
Drawing on Japanese manga, street culture, and the pop lineage established by artists like Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, Toda has developed a distinct visual world that also reflects the energy of Tokyo itself, its motion, neon, and layered cultural identity. His paintings function as a kind of parallel universe, blending humor and tenderness while inviting viewers to reconnect with a more imaginative, unguarded way of seeing.
Toda has held numerous sold-out exhibitions across Tokyo, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, and made his American debut with a solo show at Morton Contemporary.
Guy Hepner works with collectors seeking Yusuke Toda's playful, emotionally resonant paintings centered on his character YUM. Contact us to discuss available inventory or to inquire about upcoming releases.