David Choe Mural Whitewashed On LES After Outcry Over Rape Comments

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — An artist who caused outcry after making comments suggesting he sexually assaulted a masseuse has had his mural on the Houston Bowery Wall whitewashed.

David Choe's painting was completely covered over at some point last weekend.

Although its unclear who whitewashed the mural, located at the intersection of Houston Street and Bowery, both Choe and the wall's owner linked it to statements Choe previously made admitting to "rapey behavior." The mural being painted over was first reported by EVGrieve on Sunday.

Choe has been a controversial figure in the street art community since 2014 when he recorded a podcast during which he described sexually assaulting a woman. During the podcast, Choe told his co-host about masturbating during a massage, and then touching the masseuse's butt without her permission before grabbing her hands and placing them on his erect penis, according to a transcript of the podcast from BuzzFeed.

Choe said on the podcast that the masseuse was "definitely not into it, but she's not stopping it either."
Choe later said that the stories he told on the podcast weren't factual or "a representation of my reality" and denied assaulting anyone.

Choe was launched to international recognition as a street artist after he was commissioned to paint a mural for Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters. Choe chose to be paid in company stock from the then-startup, which turned out to be worth $200 million when the company went public years later.

Choe completed his mural at the Houston Bowery Wall on June 5. It was defaced within a week before it was completely painted over with white paint this weekend. (Want more local news? Subscribe here for free breaking news alerts, features and community updates from Patch.)

It is unclear who is responsible for covering the wall, but in an Instagram post on Sunday Choe uploaded a photo of a white paint roller covering what appeared to be his mural. Choe did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Patch.

In a separate Instagram post, Choe apologized for his past comments and said he told the story for "shock value."

"Though I said those words, I did not commit those actions," he wrote. "It did not happen. I have ZERO history of sexual assault. I am deeply sorry for any hurt I’ve brought to anyone through my past words. Non-consensual sex is rape and it is never funny or appropriate to joke about."

Choe said he was a "sick person" at the time and said he had spent time receiving mental health treatment during the past three years.

The wall is owned by Goldman Properties, a group that has commissioned multiple artists a year to work on wall, which was previously the site of one of Keith Haring's most iconic works of art. Goldman Properties did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Patch, but Jessica Goldman Srebnick, the group's CEO, acknowledged the mural's erasure and Choe's past comments in an Instagram post.

"We have heard the voices of those of you who have protested our selection of David Choe for the Bowery wall because of his past statements about women," Goldman Srebnick wrote in the post. "We admire your courage in speaking out against the glorification of rape culture. It is never acceptable to objectify women or to joke about rape. Mr. Choe has now spoken for himself and publicly apologized for his past behavior and the dark words he put into the world. We commend him for publicly acknowledging what he privately shared with us before we selected him. We believe his sincerity."

"In a broader sense, your voices have prompted us to question whether we should evaluate the character of the artists with whom we work, and automatically disqualify from consideration those who have behaved inappropriately," she wrote in the post.

Goldman Properties hasn't yet announced the next artist who will work on the wall, and it remains unclear how long the wall will stay blank.

Lead image via Ciara McCarthy / Patch.