28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Peanut the Squirrel: MAGA's Cutest Martyr Immortalized in Statue in NYC Art Exhibit
NEW YORK, N.Y., May 28, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — A movement's beloved squirrel is being unveiled as a heroic MAGA icon in New York's Chelsea gallery district. In 'Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art,' Peanut the Squirrel is memorialized in a gruesome form as a tiny martyr alongside political titans Elon Musk, RFK Jr., and President Donald Trump, ready to do their bidding for a fantastical third-term campaign, the Iconoclast Room announced today.
Peanut's story began in 2024, when city officials euthanized a squirrel suspected of rabies. What could have been a fleeting public health incident was transformed by MAGA outrage and a viral post by Elon Musk into a right-wing folk tale of 'government overreach.'
In 'Opposing Visions,' a MAGA-hat-clad Peanut reappears at the base of Daniel Edwards's ' Project 29: The MAGAnaut ' – a towering, grotesque cyborg hybrid of Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr.
Here, Peanut haunts the exhibit in a kind of afterlife, clawing for relevance from beyond the grave. 'Peanut is back to exact revenge on the liberal government that killed him,' Post-Internet artist XVALA says. 'He's the spirit of the culture war—scrappy, and unwilling to stay dead.'
XVALA's own contribution is a gold-plated bronze MAGA hat designed for ceremonial display atop the Resolute Desk, offering a reverent counterpoint to Edwards's dystopian satire. Where Edwards skewers Trump's persistence with a grotesque vision of biotech-fueled power, XVALA treats the MAGA movement as revolutionary heritage. This tension between dark satire and genuine veneration animates the volatile heart of Opposing Visions.
Alongside Edwards and XVALA, Jarva Land's stark pen-and-ink courtroom sketches of Trump's ongoing legal battles add a sobering counterpoint – a reminder of the real-world consequences behind the pageantry.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Experience 'Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art' at the Iconoclast Room, located in the West Chelsea Building at 526 W 26th Street, Room 511, New York, NY. The exhibition runs from May 27–31, 2025.
There will be a press opportunity on Thursday and Friday mornings, an art gallery walk on Thursday evening, and an Artists' Reception on Friday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. ET.
LEARN MORE:
For press inquiries, interview requests, or additional information, please contact us at [email protected] or call (646) 657-8028.
VIDEO (YouTube):
IMAGE LINKS FOR MEDIA:
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Photos Caption: Peanut the Squirrel in 'Project 29: The MAGAnaut,' featured in 'Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art' at Chelsea Gallery District, New York. Underlying art shown in images is Copr. © Daniel Edwards.
NEWS SOURCE: Iconoclast Room
Keywords: Fine Art and Artists, the Iconoclast Room, Peanut the Squirrel, artist Daniel Edwards, XVALA, Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art, NEW YORK, N.Y.
This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Iconoclast Room) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P126522 APNF0325A
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