Facebook Offered This Artist $60,000 To Transform Its Offices, But He Chose Not To Take The Money
It’s 2005, and young graffiti artist David Choe has caught the eye of the owners of a little-known tech company. So they offer him $60,000 to paint murals on the walls of their new offices in Palo Alto, California. But Choe turns the money down – he’ll do the job, but there’s something else he wants in payment for it.
Los Angeles native Choe had a reputation as a street artist – although he’s branched out since his younger days. Back then, he was known to many by his “tag.” This was a whale encumbered with buck teeth which he’d sprayed to identify himself to other graffiti artists and passers by.
Choe’s early days were difficult, and he even had some trouble with the law. Nevertheless, he has since achieved success, and these days you can see Choe’s art in galleries and museums. You may not have heard much about him, but that has a lot to do with his desire to stay private – though he has published a self-titled book of his art.
Choe is the son of immigrants from Korea and was born in 1976 in Los Angeles, California. His mom and dad were born-again Christians, and this fact may have inspired his first piece of graffiti which he sprayed in his early teens. It was a message from the verse John 11:35 from the Bible: “Jesus wept.”
Choe’s youth, however, was distinctly unchristian. He not only went to jail for stealing and cashing a bad check, the artist also got involved in looting during 1992’s L.A. riots. Then after dropping out of high school, Choe spent a couple of years traveling around the world. But he didn’t stop painting – putting to use any materials that he could come by.
