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By Trisha, on June 30th, 2009
I was able to chat with Koffman for a minute by his display at this weekend’s Create:Fixate event, where he was one of the most visually and conceptually interesting artists of the show. I was mainly curious about his inspiration, as the overall effect of his works was so serene, never once hinting at the chaotic parts that create the whole. Essentially Koffman does vomit his latest meal of pop culture, art history, beauty ideals, and consumer culture onto his canvases. His wheels always seem to be turning, smushing everything he’s mentally absorbed into one big old chewing gum ball of the world we live in. All the elements retain their own small voice, and Koffman piles together hundreds of those small voices on top of one another, and the piece gets louder and louder until the soothing sound of white noise washes over. The end result is as pleasing to look at as it is impossible to dissect.
Koffman’s work does have its quiet moments, and these pieces - often single females with their backs turned to the viewer, emerging ever so softly from a sea of black - are no less engrossing as his louder works. These works are decidedly unprecious. Something in the way Koffman handles the bleach belies a drive to depict the realness of the woman over the beauty. And it’s this realness that makes his subjects more beautiful than even the most skilled airbrush artist couldn’t attain.
Koffman has produced enough work in his young career to choke a horse. He’s produce cover art for bands like Make Moon and NASA Space Universe, he’s created graphic t-shirts based on his work, he’s illustrated for Weird Tales magazine and Kill Me Comics, and he’s even had multiple people get his work tattooed on them. Koffman is easily the must-see artist, so catch him at the Laguna Arts Festival and the OC Super Fair, where his work is up until August.
