Meet David Schoffman | Conceptual Artist, Writer, Polemicist, & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Schoffman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
In his seminal “anti-manifesto” manifesto, “Directives for Anarchists” (“Directives pour les anarchistes” Gallimard 2002), Currado Malaspina famously wrote: “Above and beyond all, the dirty little secret about art is that in the end, what is unavoidable is that one is obliged to look at it.” I feel that this is a much overlooked aspect of the aesthetic contract. I think that Malaspina inadvertently hit upon several critical points with his pithy aphorism. Obviously, we receive visual art visually, but implicit in the experience is the expectation of a second or even a third deliberate encounter. If those subsequent encounters yield diminished returns, then clearly the artwork has failed. The reason why I am skeptical of Malaspina’s intellect, the reason why I speculated that his conclusion was serendipitous is because I know Currado quite well and he is far from a deep thinker.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The guiding principal behind my work is the inscrutable yet inevitable conclusion that Marge and Homer Simpson are not married in real life. There is a tremendous difference between the fictional and the fake. When one commits to being an artist one enters into a principality of permissiveness. It is impossible to invent if one is constrained by the jurisdiction of factual accountability. It was the other Homer that granted us that freedom.

How did I get to where I am right now? The question implies that I had a choice. Was it easy? It was inevitable. Were there challenges? Of course.

As far as my “brand” or my “story,” these two categories are thoroughly patronizing. I urge your readers to look me up on the internet and draw their own conclusions.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A fun filled week in Los Angeles should always begin at a quaint, trendy neighborhood coffee shop. (My favorite is Flaubert’s Parrot in Echo Park). The convivial atmosphere of hip-adjacent people sitting alone, hypnotized by the glow of their personal computers is the perfect metaphor for life in the city. Free wifi is extremely important and an out-of-town guest is always amazed by its ubiquity. Folks who don’t live in big cities are always amazed at the flexible definition of the word coffee and I always urge my visitors to order the most caloric beverage on the menu.

Another must-see destination is the Long Beach Aquarium, not because of any interest in fish but in order to experience the horrors of the 405 freeway. Once there I insist on returning to the city via Sepulveda Boulevard. The unvarying urban scenery of chain stores and fast food restaurants is dazzling in its simplicity. A culture defined by appetites and convenience is another perfect reflection the southern California lifestyle.

I always try to include at least one “elevated” experience, simply to disabuse my friends of the stereotype of L.A. being a vapid petri dish of entertainment product placement. I usually take them to the Mark Taper Theater downtown but their season was cancelled because of some fiscal deficit. REDCAT is a terrific alternative. The audiences there are dedicated, sophisticated and painfully earnest and if you get there by using the Metro you can even make a convincing case that L.A. is like Paris but with nicer weather.

And no tour is complete without at least one trip to Dominic’s Birerria food truck. He’s usually on the corner of St. Elmo Drive and West Boulevard. I am religiously devoted to Dom’s truck and I never tire of proselytising in his favor.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Dahlia Danton wrote this terrific book called “Micah Carpentier’s Song of Songs.” It’s the story of the great Cuban visionary Micah Carpentier and the creation of one his most enigmatic works of art – an illuminated rendering of King Solomon’s Shir ha-Shirim. Carpentier challenged the rabbinic claim that this beautiful erotic poem from the old testament was a chaste allegory. Danton is quick to point out that if something walks and quakes like a duck, most likely it’s a duck and Carpentier’s explicit drawings are the appropriate exegetical interpretation of the text. What I love about Dahlia Danton is the courage she shows in the face of our current culture’s sexual squeamishness. Giving Carpentier’s work the imprimatur of a woman’s perspective was an act of tremendous resolve. She was pilloried by her peers in the academic community and was subjected to the standard social media political inquisition. Dahlia stood her ground. and for this she has become my hero.

Website: davidschoffman.com

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUghUcWCmADLLVVL2XPHb3w

Other: https://davidschoffman.blogspot.com