Born and raised in Los Angeles, David Choe is of Korean descent, an art-school dropout, a hustler, a lover, a thief, a gambler, a world traveler, an arteest, and a heartbreaker. Choe traveled to some of the most dangerous places on Earth (the Gaza Strip, Congo, Central Africa) before he even hit his 20s, documenting his journeys in photographs and sketchbooks and publishing them in magazines such as Giant Robot and Vice. Choe's first solo show was at a small ice-cream shop on Melrose called Double Rainbow; the exhibition was supposed to run for a month, but stayed up for two years after his pieces started selling better than the ice cream. In that time, Choe got fired from his first job and started illustrating children's books. In 1999, Choe put out his self-published, award-winning comic/novella/zine Slow Jams and, in 2002, released his art/photo/travel journal Bruised Fruit. His murals can be found on walls from Los Angeles and the Bay Area to the Middle East and Asia, as well as inside museums, galleries, and houses from coast to coast.

David Choe currently has an exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery through Saturday, February 3rd (Tue-Sat: 11am-6pm).

Check out other Flavorpill cover designs this week in SF, CHI, LA, LDN, and MIAMI.