Latest news with #DictatorApproved
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Eight-foot-tall ‘Dictator Approved' sculpture appears on National Mall
Remember the poop statue? The curly-swirly pile of doo that sat atop a replica of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-California) desk? The work of protest art placed on the National Mall last October in mock tribute to the Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election? Well, the artists responsible for the political poo plop appear to have struck again. This time with a work called 'Dictator Approved,' an 8-foot-tall sculpture showing a gold-painted hand with a distinctive thumbs-up quashing the seafoam green crown of the Statute of Liberty. It sits at the same location on the Mall near Third Street NW as the poop statue did last fall. The artwork's creators intended 'Dictator Approved' as a rejoinder to the June 14 military parade and authoritarianism, according to a permit issued by the National Park Service. The parade, the creators wrote in the application, 'Will feature imagery similar to autocratic, oppressive regime, i.e. N. Korea, Russia, and China, marching through DC.' The purpose of the statue, they continued, is to call attention to 'the praising these types of oppressive leaders have given Donald Trump.' Plaques on the four sides of the artwork's base include quotes from world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin ('President Trump is a very bright and talented man.'), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ('The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump.'), former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro ('We do have a great deal of shared values. I admire President Trump.') and North Korea's Kim Jong Un ('Your Excellency.' A 'special' relationship. 'The extraordinary courage of President Trump.'). 'If these Democrat activists were living in a dictatorship, their eye-sore of a sculpture wouldn't be sitting on the National Mall right now,' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, wrote in an emailed statement. 'In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so-called 'art,' no matter how ugly it is.' Mary Harris is listed as the applicant for the permit but no contact information for her was provided. The permit allows the statue to be in place from 7 a.m. June 16 until 5 p.m. June 22. The 'Dictator Approved' statue is very similar in style and materials to the poop statue and several protest artworks placed in the District, Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon, last fall. However, no individual or group has publicly claimed responsibility for those pieces. An unidentified caller and emailer told a Washington Post reporter last year that he was part of the group that worked on the sculptures and provided information about them that only someone who had installed the projects would know, such as when the statues would appear. His identity remains a mystery. On Wednesday he replied to a Washington Post email asking if he was involved with the new statue. 'I have heard about it but not me,' he wrote. He did not respond to additional questions or a request to meet in an Arlington parking garage. Some of the tourists and locals who stopped by the statue between downpours Wednesday afternoon expressed surprise that it was allowed to be placed where it was. And they expressed reservations about weighing in on it publicly. 'I'm amazed that whoever dreamt this up could put this here,' said Kuresa, an 80-year-old from Australia who declined to give his last name because he said as an international visitor he didn't feel comfortable expressing his views. 'It reminds me of 'Animal Farm.'' District resident and retired federal employee Yvette Hatfield stopped by with her dog Max, wearing an adorable raincoat and rain hat, to get a selfie of both of them in front of the statue. Asked why she wanted a photo, Hatfield laughed. 'Because of my political views and that's all I'm going to say.' 'I actually love it,' said another District resident. He declined to give his name because he said his parents and grandparents often told him 'Fools' names, like their faces, are always seen in public places.' He wished the reporter good luck with the story. Francesca Carlo, 20, and Abigail Martin, 21, visiting from Cleveland, happened on the statue just before it started to pour. 'At first I was confused,' Martin said, 'but then I figured it out. I think it's beautiful.' Carlo agreed. She thought the quotes on the plaques could send a message. 'If all these authoritarian politicians approve of our president then maybe people will see a pattern recognition and see where democracy is headed,' she said.
The Independent
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
New ‘dictator approved' sculpture of smashed Statue of Liberty arrives in DC - but nobody knows who is behind it
A new 'dictator approved' sculpture cropped up on the National Mall in front of the Capitol building days after President Donald Trump 's military parade — but the creator remains a mystery. The sculpture, titled 'Dictator Approved,' depicts a golden hand — giving a thumbs up — crushing the top of the Statute of Liberty. Her crown is cracked, and one of the seven spikes has fallen off, lying atop the pedestal. It appeared on the National Mall in Washington, DC on Tuesday. Trump, who first announced his presidential run in 2015 by descending a golden escalator, has transformed the Oval Office, covering much of it in gold. A pedestal is also adorned with gold plaques featuring quotes from several world leaders, often characterized as dictators, praising Trump. 'President Trump 'is a very bright and talented man,'' a quote attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin reads. On another side bears a quote from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: "The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump." The artwork appeared days after the president's military parade in the nation's capital, which coincided with this birthday celebration — and nationwide 'No Kings' protests. The artwork has a permit to be on the National Mall though June 22, WTOP reported. The Independent has reached out to the National Park Service for more information. The permit states: 'Military parade on 6/14 will feature imagery similar of autocratic, oppressive regimes, i.e. N. Korea, Russia, and China, marching through DC. This statue will call attention of that imagery by linking our American traditions of freedom of the actually praising these types of oppressive leaders have given Donald Trump.' 'It's just a sign of today's political climate,' Diane, a woman walking in the National Mall, told the outlet. 'It's crushing liberty, that's what it says to me.' The permit says a security guard is required to guard the statue 24/7. The security guard told the Washingtonian that reactions to the artwork have been 'pretty mixed.' The latest anti-Trump sculpture comes eight months after other political art pieces appeared on the National Mall. In October, a bronze sculpture resembling former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk, complete with an emoji-shaped poop, cropped up near the Capitol building. 'This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021 to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election,' the plaque beneath the artwork read. 'President Trump celebrates these heroes of January 6th as 'unbelievable patriots' and 'warriors.' This monument stands as a testament to their daring sacrifice and lasting legacy.'
