To say that this presidential election has been one of the more bizarre cycles in the country’s history would be a gross understatement. We’ve seen the mud-slinging and muckraking turned up to Thomas Jefferson-calling-John-Adams-a-hermaphrodite-and-Adams-telling-people-Jefferson-was-dead levels (yes, really). In 2008, Shepard Fairey’s street art was an emblem of hope; in 2016 renegade art has taken on a whole different tone.
The art collective Indecline threw their balaclavas into the ring of presidential politics this year with a statue of Republican candidate Donald J. Trump that was… unflattering (to put it lightly). Statues popped up in cities across America. Some were removed with little fanfare, others immediately became landmarks for Trump haters.
But Indecline wasn’t just in it for the micro-penis jokes. This group of activists — “comprised of graffiti writers, filmmakers, photographers and full-time rebels” — believe they are fighting the good fight; using art and media to expose injustice across the globe. (Problems that there are no lack of at present.)
As the crew plotted the Trump statue, they decided they needed a specialist in making “monsters.” They found their man in horror prop master Joshua “Ginger” Monroe — who jumped at the opportunity to make something outside his usual wheelhouse of supernatural beasts, but still handled Cheeto Jesus with his signature blend of intensity and stark realism.
The naked Donald Trump statue exposes the GOP candidate as a small man with big problems and shot to news and online fame almost instantly. He’s an emperor who refuses to notice the obvious — that’s what makes him so scary. Protestors, gawkers, anti-Trump revelers, and the just plain curious gathered around the statues to pose for selfies and ponder this strange era.
Will it sway any votes? We’ll have to wait until November to know for sure.
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