Donald Trump has made an unexpected return to Las Vegas this weekend, though not in the manner he likely envisioned. Towering over Interstate 15 on the route to Utah, a 43-foot replica of the former Republican presidential contender stands, clad in nothing but his birthday suit. This colossal installation does not paint a flattering picture, with one particularly unflattering detail—an insultingly small representation of Donald Trump Jr., the art’s creators’ jab at Trump’s familial and political persona.
The anonymous creators behind this provocative piece describe their work as a “bold statement on transparency, vulnerability, and the public personas of political figures.” Aptly named “Crooked and Obscene,” the installation is crafted from foam-covered metal rebar and weighs an astounding 6,000 pounds. It possesses a mechanical element; as a marionette hung from a crane, its arms are the only observed moving parts so far.
The installation was discreetly erected late Friday night at 13460 Apex Harbor Lane in North Las Vegas, in a parking lot adjacent to Love’s Storage Solutions—a choice of location laden with irony. All signs point to Joshua Monroe as the potential mastermind. A Las Vegas resident known for his work in designing monsters for horror films and haunted houses, Monroe had previously collaborated with the art collective INDECLINE to create five similar eight-foot-tall naked Trump replicas during the 2016 election season. Those installations, humorously titled “The Emperor Has No Balls,” appeared in cities including Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle, only to be swiftly removed by authorities.
The New York City Parks Department, for instance, issued a signature New York statement about their removal, emphasizing that the city “stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small.” How long this new, enormous naked Trump will remain is uncertain, especially since its creators have announced plans to take it on a “Crooked and Obscene Tour” through several American cities as the next election cycle approaches.
