David Choe (born April 21, 1976) is an American artist, musician, and former journalist and podcast host from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Choe's work appears in a wide variety of urban culture and entertainment contexts. He has illustrated and written for magazines including ''

Hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

'', ''

Ray Gun A raygun is a science-fiction directed-energy weapon that releases energy, usually with destructive effect.Jeff Prucher, '' Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction,'' Oxford University Press, 2007, page 162 They have variou ...

'' and ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

''. He has an ongoing relationship with the Asian pop culture store-cum-magazine '' Giant Robot''. He once hung his work in a

Double Rainbow Double Rainbow may refer to: * Double rainbow, a variation of the meteorological phenomenon * Double Rainbow (ice cream), a brand of premium ice cream, sorbets, and frozen desserts Media * ''Double Rainbow'' (album), Aya Matsuura's sixth album ...

ice cream shop located on

Melrose Avenue Melrose Avenue is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard, at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It ends at Lucile Avenue in Silver Lake. Melrose runs north of Beve ...

. His figurative paintings, which explore themes of desire, degradation, and exaltation, are characterized by a raw, frenetic method that he has termed "dirty style."

Early life and education

Choe was born in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. His parents are

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

immigrants and born-again Christians. He spent his childhood in

Koreatown, Los Angeles Koreatown ( ko, 코리아타운) is a neighborhood in central Los Angeles, California, centered near Eighth Street and Irolo Street. Koreans began immigrating in larger numbers in the 1960s and found housing in the Mid-Wilshire area. Many ope ...

.Jaime Wright,
Choe Jams: The Purity of David Choe
" ''Comfusion Magazine'', Winter 2002. He has been spray-painting on the streets since he was in his teens. He briefly attended the

California College of the Arts California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996 it opened a second campus in Sa ...

.Amanda Erlanson, "David Choe,"
Heroes & Villains
', Zero+ Publishing, 2011.

Career

In 1996, Choe self-published a graphic novel titled ''Slow Jams''; he claims to have made only 200 copies and given them away at

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events ...

in 1998, hoping to interest a publisher. In 1999, he submitted ''Slow Jams'' for the

Xeric Grant Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

and was awarded $5,000 to self-publish a second, expanded edition of 1,000 which came out in 1999 with a cover price of $4. In 2008, with Harry Kim, he made an autobiographical documentary, '' Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe''.David Choe,
David Choe
', Chronicle Books, 2010. . He accepted mural commissions from Hollywood madam

Heidi Fleiss Heidi Lynne Fleiss (born December 30, 1965) is an American former madam. She ran an upscale prostitution ring based in Los Angeles and is often referred to as the " Hollywood Madam". Fleiss has also worked as a columnist and was a television per ...

and from the founders of

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

. After holding several solo shows in San Jose and San Francisco, he was offered a solo exhibit at the

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...

Museum of Contemporary Art in 2005. He held his first New York solo exhibit, "Gardeners of Eden," in 2007 at

Jonathan LeVine Gallery Jonathan LeVine is an American art dealer, instrumental in the proliferation of lowbrow and street art on the East Coast of the United States. About LeVine grew up in Trenton, New Jersey. As a teenager, he encountered punk rock music and the p ...

in Chelsea, and in 2008, he had his first UK solo exhibition, "Murderous Heart," in both the London and Newcastle locations of Lazarides Gallery, simultaneously.

Vice

After being approached for his artwork by

Gavin McInnes Gavin Miles McInnes (; born 17 July 1970) is a Canadian writer, podcaster and far-right commentator and founder of the Proud Boys. He is the host of '' Get Off My Lawn with Gavin McInnes'', on the subscription-based streaming media platform C ...

and Shane Smith, Choe was recruited to write and do artwork for ''Vice'' magazine. For an online series called ''Thumbs Up!'' with

, which has three seasons, Choe and Harry Kim were filmed

hitchhiking Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

and

freight hopping Freighthopping or trainhopping is the act of surreptitiously boarding and riding a freight railroad car, which is usually illegal. Origins and history In the United States, freighthopping became a common means of transportation following the ...

from Los Angeles to Miami and Tijuana to Alaska, and then hitching across China from

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

and the gambling mecca of

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

.David Choe,
The David Choe Special Issue
" ''Juxtapoz'', 5/10. A fourth season, in which Choe and Kim travel from San Francisco to New York, was 'released' on Snapchat and Instagram.

Recent: 2013-present

In 2013, Choe began hosting an online lifestyle and entertainment podcast with adult film star

Asa Akira Asa Akira (born January 3, 1985) is an American pornographic actress and adult film director. Akira has appeared in over 505 adult films as of May 2016. In 2013, she became the third Asian performer (after Asia Carrera and Stephanie Swift) to w ...

entitled ''DVDASA''. In a March 2014 podcast, Choe recounted an instance where he sexually assaulted a masseuse. He later released a statement to clarify that the story he recounted was fiction and should be viewed as an extension of his art. He has also become recognized for his watercolors, which exhibited in his solo show at the Museo Universario del Chopo,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

in 2013. After receiving extensive therapy and treatment, he reemerged in 2017 with a new body of work and an exhibition in Los Angeles that presented heavy themes of trauma, self-reflection and hope for recovery.

Facebook stock

In 2005, internet entrepreneur

Sean Parker Sean Parker (born December 3, 1979) is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, most notable for co-founding the file-sharing computer service Napster, and serving as the first president of the social networking website Facebook. He also ...

, a longtime fan, asked him to paint graphic sexual murals in the interior of

's first Silicon Valley office, and in 2007, Facebook CEO

Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born ) is an American business magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), o ...

commissioned him to paint somewhat tamer murals for their next office. Although he thought the Facebook business model was "ridiculous and pointless,"Nick Bilton,
For Founders to Decorators, Facebook Riches
" ''The New York Times'', 1/1/12. Choe chose to receive company stock in lieu of cash payment for the original Facebook murals. His shares were valued at approximately $200 million on the eve of Facebook's 2012 IPO.

Charitable works

Since 2008, Choe has dedicated many of his works to charity and has collaborated with foundations to support their local causes, including fundraising for Haiti with Yle Haiti, a foundation founded by

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

; painting with the children of The LIDÈ Haiti Foundationl; and painting with children of South Central LA at APCH.

Controversy

In the early 2000s, Choe was reportedly arrested in Japan, where he was taking part in an art show, after an altercation with a police officer. Various sources cite the year as 2003 or 2005 and state that Choe spent two or three months in prison. Choe commented in 2014 on his ''DVDASA'' podcast that he had engaged in "rapey behavior" with a masseuse. He defended his comment by explaining that the podcast itself is essentially a work of fiction. However, after he was commissioned to paint the Bowery Mural Wall in 2017, he was met with protest from other artists, including street artist Swoon, who issued a statement against his inclusion in the mural project. Another artist, Jasmine Wahi, co-organized a performance in front of the mural and stated "Our aim is to provoke widespread rejection of the continued normalization of rape culture by bringing visibility to the topic." Additionally, the mural was quickly defaced by graffiti artists. Choe responded by again publicly denying any history of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, and by apologizing for his original podcast comments.

Bibliography

*''Slow Jams'', self-published, 1999 *''Bruised Fruit: The Art of David Choe'', Drips Inc., 2002 *''Cursiv'', Giant Robot, 2003 *''David Choe'', Chronicle Books, 2010.

Filmography

*''Thumbs Up!'' documentary web series, VBS.TV (2007–2010) *''The Last Dinosaur of the Congo with David Choe,'' VBS.TV (2011) *''

We Are the Strange ''We Are the Strange'' is an independent animated film directed by M dot Strange. It uses stop motion, CG artwork, and greenscreen effects. The film premiered on January 19, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. Plot ''We Are the Strange'' focuses ...

'' (voice of the character Rain), independent animated film by M dot Strange (2007) *'' Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe'', documentary film (2008) * ''

'', "50 Shades of Sasha Grey: How She Got into Porn & More" (appearance as Grey's friend) (2010)"50 Shades of Sasha Grey: How She Got Into Porn & More,"
''VICE'', 4/25/11. *'' Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown'', "Koreatown, Los Angeles," season 1, episode 2 (2013) *''DVDASA'' podcast web show, starring B-Trivia, David Choe and porn superstar Asa Akira (2013) * ''Vice'', season 2, episodes 3, 6 and 11 (2014) * ''

The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, beginning five years after the events of ''Retur ...

'', season 2, episode 1 " Chapter 9: The Marshal" as a ringside spectator (2020)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Choe, David American contemporary painters American muralists American graffiti artists American graphic novelists American people of Korean descent California College of the Arts alumni Living people 1976 births Artists from Los Angeles American podcasters 21st-century American painters American artists of Korean descent American male novelists American male painters