This naked Trump statue took Seattle spectators by surprise on August 18, 2016.
Photo credit: SEASTOCK / Shutterstock.com
Somebody has created five naked Donald Trump statues and placed them in major metropolises across the U.S. Five cities—Cleveland, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and New York—were greeted by life-sized nude Donald Trump figurines on August 18, 2016. The 6’5” structures featured a hairy groin area alongside a tiny, disproportionate penis.
But onlookers quickly noticed that something was missing: testicles. The statues stood atop a plaque that read, “The emperor has no balls.”
The statues were removed soon afterward, but not before the New York City Parks Department chimed in with a witty response, “NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small.”
The structures elicited strong reactions from spectators, ranging from hysterical laughter to bitter disapproval. In a more bizarre reaction, a homeless man in San Francisco performed oral sex on the statue, punched it, and then proceeded to apologize.
The statues were placed in high traffic areas by a group of anonymous, political activists known only as “Indecline.” An unnamed representative from the group spoke to Newsweek about the sculptures:
“The idea is that [Trump] is a nightmare we have to wake up from. Despite there being some comedic elements to the piece, from a project perspective, just on a whole, there are a few things we want to convey. One is that we shouldn’t be afraid of him. I think a lot of people are starting to get fearful of him. Personally, I think a lot of us feel, like, he is a little bit of a sociopath and can’t control himself. But at the same time, we can’t let ourselves be fearful of this guy.”
This won’t be Indecline’s first (or last) controversial art project. Back in October 2015, Indecline painted a huge “rape Trump” mural on the U.S./Mexico border. Just this past March, the group inserted the names of police brutality victims into empty Hollywood Walk of Fame stars.
The statues walk a tedious line between art, activism, and vulgarity.