DVDASA
| David Choe | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 21, 1976 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | California College of the Arts |
| Known for | Painter, murals, graphic novels |
| Awards | Xeric Grant |
David Choe (born April 21, 1976) is an American figure painter, muralist, graffiti artist and graphic novelist of Korean descent. His figure paintings, which explore themes of desire, degradation, and exaltation, are characterized by a raw, frenetic tone that he has termed "dirty style." In the graffiti world, he is identified with the bucktoothed whale he has been spray-painting on the streets since he was in his teens. David also hosts DVDASA (Double Vag Double Anal Sensitive Artist), a lifestyle, relationship and entertainment podcast with co-host Asa Akira.
Choe's work appears in a wide variety of urban culture and entertainment contexts. For example, he provided the cover art for Jay-Z and Linkin Park's multi-platinum album Collision Course, and created artwork to decorate the sets of Juno and The Glass House. In 2005, internet entrepreneur Sean Parker, a longtime fan, asked him to paint graphic sexual murals in the interior of Facebook's first Silicon Valley office, and in 2007, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg commissioned him to paint somewhat tamer murals for their next office. Although he thought the Facebook business model was "ridiculous and pointless," Choe, a habitual gambler, 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. Those murals were loosely re-created by Choe's friends Rob Sato and Joe To for the set of the film The Social Network. During the 2008 presidential race, Choe painted a portrait of then-Senator Barack Obama for use in a grassroots street art campaign. The original was later displayed in the White House.
David Choe was born on April 21, 1976. His parents were Korean immigrants and born-again Christians. He spent his childhood in Koreatown, Los Angeles. In his youth, Choe learned to draw images from Star Wars, G.I. Joe and Robotech among others. His own bicycle was stolen in his teenage years, which led to Choe shoplifting and stealing bikes from others. In 1990 he was inspired by L.A. graffiti artists Mear One and Hex, to start painting graffiti himself. His first graffiti message was the Bible verse John 11:35, which reads "Jesus wept." Rather than writing his name, he painted faces and figures, cartoony whales, and philosophical messages. At age 16, he participated in the 1992 Los Angeles riots. During the riot, his parents' real estate business in Koreatown was burned down, which led to financial struggles for his family.
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