Music
Someone put a big, ugly Kanye West statue up in Hollywood
by Jeremy Mersereau
February 23, 2017
It looks... nothing like him.
Talk about your false idols. No, not Kanye West, although he’s up there; I’m talking about pop culture-critiquing street art, like this giant golden statue of Kanye sporting a crown of thorns and Yeezys in Hollywood from an artist known as – sigh – “Plastic Jesus.” Uh-oh…why do I suddenly feel like all my societal, mass-marketed illusions are about to be shattered?
Oh my god, dude. And it’s called “False Idol?” Perfect. Where do street artists come up with this stuff? Plastic Jesus details his process, as per The Hollywood Reporter: “He’s a genius at writing and producing but he’s not a God, and that’s where we put him. Until there’s an issue in his life or a hiccup in his career, then we crucify him. The piece is intended to be as critical of us as consumers and the media as it is of Kanye himself. We’ve created this idol from somebody who is clearly talented.”
Oh, word? It almost feels like Kanye himself commented on that once, with, like, an entire album or something…well, I’m sure it’s nothing. I’d expect nothing less from the guy behind such trenchant insights as Robin Williams actually being sad.
Plastic Jesus plans to move the statue from its current street location on Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue to his art show on February 25th, which is called Anesthesia: The Art of Oblivion. Oof.
I’m just going to go ahead and address the giant, gaudily-painted Banksy elephant in the room: the statue really looks nothing like Kanye. “Oh look honey, it’s a statue of a crucified…uhhh…I think maybe Cuba Gooding Jr?”
[H/T The Hollywood Reporter]