The artists made the bathrobe-wearing Harvey Weinstein statue because this practice is „still a part of Hollywood Culture.“
A bathrobe-wearing Harvey Weinstein statue appeared Thursday within close proximity of the venue where Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony is set to take place.
The structure is located on Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, which is near the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California. Street artists Joshua „Ginger“ Monroe and Plastic Jesus, who is known for his annual Oscar season projects that mock or shed light on the darker side of the entertainment industry, joined forces to make the „Casting Couch“ sculpture as they claimed this practice is „still a part of Hollywood Culture.“
The all-gold statue features Weinstein sitting on his infamous casting couch, which is propped on top of a red carpet. The movie producer is also wearing an open robe and slippers as he holds an Oscar trophy before his crotch. In speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about the likeness, Ginger claimed it was created as „a visual representation of the practices and methods that are used in Hollywood with these big powerful people.“
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„Harvey Weinstein became an icon in the entertainment industry,“ Plastic Jesus wrote on Instagram. „His power and influence was almost without compare. However, whilst many thought the ‚casting couch‘ was a thing of the past it was clearly still a part of the Hollywood culture.“
„For many years the exploitation of many hopefuls and established names in the industry was brushed under the carpet with their complaints of harassment and sexual abuse…or worse. Hopefully now, in the light of recent allegations against many leading figures in Hollywood, the industry will clean up its act,“ he added.
The sculpture, which is life-sized, took two months to create. Ginger made the statue’s head and upper body, whereas Plastic Jesus took care of the rest. In order to get the final product just right, the pair even used a friend who boasted a similar body type to Weinstein’s to obtain proper measurements for the structure.
It’s uncertain how long the statue will remain in its current position. However, this wouldn’t be the first time Weinstein was turned into a sculpture. In November, Englanders a part of the Edenbridge Bonfire Society created a 36-foot tall Weinstein effigy. Unlike the bathrobe-clad statue, it was created with the intention to be burned by fire.
Weinstein was accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with more than 80 women, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd. The 65-year-old reportedly sought treatment at a facility in Arizona in the midst of the scandal, but he has profusely denied all allegations regarding his apparent behavior.
