M

M is a 2018 lithograph whose title most likely refers to the McDonald's golden arches logo, a ubiquitous symbol of American consumer culture. Nam's work consistently examines the visual and material culture of everyday American life as observed through the lens of a Korean-born artist, and the McDonald's arches — among the most recognized commercial symbols globally — carry particular weight as an emblem of Americanization. Alternatively, the title may reference an M&M candy. In either reading, the lithograph renders a mass-produced commercial symbol through the labor of hand-drawn printmaking, creating a measured distance between the object depicted and the speed and ubiquity that characterizes its real-world circulation.