Bryan Buckley, the artist whose “living statues” mocking the president popped up in front of the White House in July, is back in DC today with some new statues in front of the Lincoln Memorial and the Trump Hotel.
Like his previous caper, the new installations mimic actual statues, except that the gold-plated figures are actors standing perfectly still. The Lincoln Memorial installation includes three statues: “The Poser” depicts Donald Trump holding a bible as he watches a police officer assault a protester. “Don’t Be Afraid” depicts a medical worker standing over a grave for Covid, a firefighter standing over a grave for the environment, and Trump standing over the two with a rake and shovel in hand. Most elaborate of all, “Fill That Seat,” incorporates a water fountain in its pedestal, enabling the statue to depict Trump urinating on the Supreme Court seat of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
You can see the statues at the Lincoln Memorial this morning.
Then, around 2 PM, Buckley and his group will move to the Trump Hotel to debut “Safety for the Suburban Housewife,” which will have a woman standing on a ladder to change a lightbulb while Trump holds the ladder for her and looks up her skirt.
His installation in front of the Trump Hotel is “more trolling than anything,” Buckley says, and his installation at the Lincoln Memorial was inspired by Trump’s “obsession” with the 16th President.
“Even through the last debate, he continues to compare himself to Lincoln, it’s just incredible,” Buckley says. “If I had to guess, this Memorial is [Trump’s] favorite, because he did that [town hall] there and considers himself a close model to [Lincoln]. I feel like we need to see [Trump’s] dark moments juxtaposed against one of our greatest Presidents.”
Buckley says he’s gotten proper permits for both installations.
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
