Plastic Jesus Strikes Again
In what’s become an Oscar tradition, L.A. street artist Plastic Jesus has unveiled a new life-size Oscar statue on Hollywood Boulevard. Standing slightly over seven feet tall, including a platform with a sign reading “False Idol” in old English font, the gold-painted sculpture is none other than Kanye West as Jesus.
The statue’s groin is wrapped in a loincloth, while the tippy-toed feet sport actual Yeezy sneakers and a Jesus-faced medallion hangs around its neck. Atop Kanye’s head sits a thorny crown that Plastic Jesus says he purchased “from the Holy Land” on eBay for $8. Kanye’s expressionless face, meanwhile, was molded by the Las Vegas-based horror artist Ginger, who recently claimed fame for creating the five nude Donald Trump statues that popped up in various cities last summer, part of a collaboration with the street-art collective Indecline.
The art piece is the fourth installment in a satirical series by Plastic Jesus, who, two years ago, erected a cocaine-sniffing Oscar statue on all fours, followed by last year’s lady Oscar, in clear heels and pasties, gripping a stripper pole. With these public art pieces, Plastic Jesus is trying to call attention to “the dark underbelly” of celebrity worship and the entertainment industry at large. In the next few weeks, we can look forward to more Donald Trump protest art from Plastic Jesus in the next few weeks.
Plastic Jesus, 2017
Plastic Jesus, 2016
Plastic Jesus, 2015