Donald Trump inspires US street artists to reach for the spray paint
Art works are appearing in galleries and on brick walls across the US denouncing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Last week, “#DaddyWillSaveUs”, a bizarre art exhibition opened in New York. Lucian Wintrich, the organiser, called it “the first Conservative art show” in America. Wintrich’s friend, Milo Yiannopoulos, a writer for right-wing website Breitbart, who calls Donald Trump “Daddy”, was the main event.
An hour after the show’s opening he got into a bathtub of pig’s blood, wearing only his pants and a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap. He claimed it represented the blood of the US victims of “illegal aliens who had no right to be in the United States” and backed Trump’s politics saying that Trump’s campaign “has understood that the media has lied to and about you for decades”. He then posed for the cameras in the bath while smoking a cigarette.
The “art” was gross and weird and proved, if nothing else, that left-wingers make prettier pictures. But for more compelling is the work that’s appearing in galleries and on the streets across the US denouncing Trump.
A month earlier Portland, Oregon-based artist Sarah Levy created a far more arresting message using the same material – blood – with her work “Whatever”, which has become known by the affectionate hashtag #BloodyTrump. The work is a portrait of Trump made with her menstrual blood in response to the Republican candidate’s comments that Fox news presenter Megyn Kelly had “blood coming out of her wherever”.
“To think that he could talk this way about the basic functioning of a woman’s reproductive system, not just to avoid tough political questions, but to insult Kelly’s intelligence – and effectively all women’s – was infuriating and needed to be called out,” she says.
She usually works in charcoal, but she felt using menses would get the message across better. It’s as much a statement about prejudice around menstruation as it is about Trump, and while Levy thinks Trump is unfit to be president she has her misgivings about Clinton too.
“I think it’s equally horrifying that this sexual violence is being used by Hillary Clinton and her campaign as a political card to win against Trump... While Trump says scary open misogyny, I think we should be talking about what policies would actually help women and work to end sexism and women’s oppression. Because these are not Hillary’s policies either.”
It’s not new for artists to get involved in politics. Emory Douglas made promotional art for the Black Panthers in the Sixties, for example and female collectives used art to highlight issues of rape and violence against women in the Seventies, Levy notes. But, she says, this time mocking the presidential candidates using art might not be enough. “I think most of the political arguments that need to be taken up regarding election 2016 might be more complex than most visual art can do justice to,” she says.
But as we enter the final weeks of the election campaign more anti-Trump work has been popping up around the States. It seems many artists can’t resist a bit of fun at Donald Trump’s expense.
Chicago artist Jacob Thomas dedicated an entire show to making Trump look silly, caricaturing him as Richie Rich, Batman, Mao Zedong and even a painted a toilet with Trump’s face, with a little Trumpish poo nestled beneath its lid.
New York street artist Hanksy, who modelled himself after the UK’s Banksy, has also reimagined Trump as an angry turd, with a mural on Canal Street with Trump’s face surrounded by flies.
Phoenix-based artist El Peezo took inspiration from comedian John Oliver’s show which revealed Trump’s last name used to be Drumpf, sparking the hashtag #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain. He has depicted Trump as Jabba the Hut, the slimy Star Wars character who leches over Princess Leia in the gold bikini scene.
“People need to see [Trump] as a character, not a candidate for President,” he told the local paper, the Phoenix New Times. “He lies, he bullies, he throws tantrums, he just knows how to play to the angst most Americans have, and I think that is the reason he has garnered support”.
After Trump used their song “Seven Nation Army” without permission, The White Stripes were, to put it lightly, a little miffed. They put out a statement saying they were “disgusted” at the association and have now made T-shirts that say “Icky Trump”, a reference to their song “Icky Thump”. The back of the shirt quotes the song’s rather pertinent lyrics: “White Americans? What? Nothing better to do? Why don’t you kick yourself out? You’re an immigrant too.”
Brownsville, Texas, got to see this delightful banner by modern pop artist Ron English this month. English created the “Abraham Obama” work, which fused America’s 16th and 44th Presidents into one portrait that went viral during the 2008 election. He has now turned his mind to battling the current GOP candidate, caricaturing him as Trumpty Dumpty.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments