Written by Tiffanie Lin
Collaboration with DVS-1 and Joseph To in Denver, CO for Denver International Airport’s Art & Culture program
If you want to see graffiti art at one of its finest, just look at the works of David Choe. David Choe, a Korean-American graffiti artist and painter, does not disappoint in his art work, which can be seen as dark, colorful, dirty, erotic, cartoonish, but powerful all in its own. This is because Choe grew up with anger welling up inside of him; he was angry at the rich white kids at his school for not having humility [1]. The anger contributes to his art style that I mentioned before as “dirty”, meaning that he sprays on surfaces that are not white or blank [2]. Choe has traveled to almost every continent which is why he is so well-shaped as an artist. He has had exhibitions from Beijing to London, drawn cover art for famous singers, and even painted murals on the walls of Facebook’s first office. Not to mention that he has spent three months in jail in Japan as well. What inspires him to draw is anything and everything he sees, such as a rust pattern on the ceiling beams, which inspired him to draw an old, perverted man’s face as somewhat phallic shaped for his Beijing gallery.
Cover art for Jay-Z and Linkin Park album
Solo Exhibition: Death Blossom in Beijing, China
Choe’s signature trademark is a bucktoothed whale that he spray paints as “tags”, which are what graffiti artists spray as a unique way to leave their mark, or sometimes as part of his big murals. Many of his more famous paintings feature a face or large head with different shapes and objects either coming out of the person’s mouth or from the back of their head.
Nuart Office restroom wall
Mexico City’s Museo Universitario del Chopo
Take, for example, this mural he drew pictured below: the eyes are monolid almond shaped, and brown, a trait that many Asians share, but the lips are large and plump, a trait familiar in African Americans, also, we can see that the skin is white and the face is narrow shaped, similar to the facial features of Caucasians. One thing that we are certain of is the beauty that this woman possesses, which is prevalent in Choe’s other works that have a central focus on a woman. She almost always turns out beautiful: large breasts and butt, long legs, narrow hips, with facial features that incorporates different cultures. Often they are depicted as riding on some creature and wearing scant clothing. A caveat to this is the monster that we see coming out of the woman’s head or the monster we see the woman wearing as a hat, this can be interpreted in many different ways, but I see it as his warning to the male sex that all woman possess a demon inside of them, despite their beautiful.
Seen in Downtown L.A. on Matteo Street
“Weightloss Girls”
Facebook office stairwell in Palo Alto
Solo Exhibition: Death Blossom in Beijing, China
The same can be said about his art that focus on men; their faces are nothing spectacular, sometimes ordinary, and other times even ugly. His work is seen all over the world with messages unclear and at other times very prominent, with themes of murder, killing, pervertedness, and much more [3]. Displaying these types of work both in public spaces and in private is a bit controversial, but his work is relatable everyone. In a way, Choe brings together people of all cultures through his artwork that often times depict the inner struggles that humans face. The chaotic environment he paints in his murals can signify the chaos within ourselves, but it is this chaos that defines us as human beings, as can be interpreted from his mural. There is a balance between chaos and harmony that seems to resonate in sync with each other, creating a beautiful image overall. His own struggle with anger can also be seen from the sporadic lines and objects in his work his use of different colors is also at times very bright and at other times dark and foreboding.
Lazarides Gallery in London
David Choe mural at House of Kabir in Afghanistan
Gorgeous or putrid, we can clearly see that Choe has a love for the human race, more particularly the female kind. It is obvious that he doesn’t care what other people think of his art, and just draws. His interest in sociopolitical matters is shown when he created murals and paintings in support for President Obama during the 2008 political campaign, one of which was even featured in the White House.
David Choe’s poster from Upper Playground for Barack Obama campaign
Obama Mural for Presidential Campaign
He breaks the stereotype that Asian Americans seem to possess with his loud art, on display for the world to see. To sum it up in Choe’s words, “I love spray painting […] it’s about […] graffiti, it’s about destroying public property, changing your environment, creating an environment that you live in”. As an avid fan of Choe’s work, I can assure you that you’ll definitely find something by him that appeals to you. Choe creates art unique to the city or country he is doing it at, “I like to create art on the spot, in the place. The people, the culture, the experiences you have there, they seep into the work.” If you would like to know more about him, check out his documentary “Dirty Hands: The Life and Crimes of David Choe”.
References:
- http://interviews.gawker.com/live-q-a-with-art-world-bad-boy-and-facebook-millionair-1178640105
- http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?Itemid=92&id=458&option=com_content
- http://www.juxtapoz.com/current/character-assassination-new-works-by-david-choe-opens-tomorrow
- http://davechoe.blogspot.com/?zx=47dcfa23f4899429
High Fifth Power 