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HOW THE EU PARLIAMENT EXHIBITED A NAKED GOLD TRUMP
- AND HOW THE WORLD REACTED
In just a few days, The Orange Plague went from being a sculpture exhibition to a viral wave sweeping across social and traditional media worldwide. It has reached Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Bannon and even appears as an Iranian LEGO propaganda video. Now it is being 3D-printed as street art in thousands of homes around the world.
Dear ,  Every once in a while, reality surpasses your wildest imagination. That is what happened to my team and me. And it is a story worth telling. Here it goes;
The exhibition
Like so many others, last year I grew thoroughly tired of Trump’s lies, bullying tactics and interference in everyone else’s affairs. A behaviour that I see as undermining the rules-based world order which, despite its flaws, serves us well. As an artist, I chose to express these feelings in a sculpture called The Orange Plague—a work about self-righteousness, hypocrisy and the poisoning and sickening of practically the entire world.
Inspired by The Emperor’s New Clothes, the sculpture depicts Trump, naked except for a thin layer of 23-carat gold leaf, sitting on the shoulders of a man buckling under his weight. In one hand, Trump holds a set of scales representing his self-proclaimed justice; in the other, a golf club with a ball shaped like the Earth.
“that is the one statue of Trump we are going to keep around when he's gone. The rest of them are going right into the garbage.”
Per Clausen, an MEP from The Left, had invited me to exhibit the sculpture at the European Parliament for three days. To my great surprise, it sailed through the EU bureaucracy. I imagine the normally meticulous officials must have had a smile on their faces as they turned a blind eye and approved the exhibition after two years of constant humiliation and interference from the US administration. (it is a) “sign of the decline of the entire European Union.”
Robert Fico - Prime Minister of Slovakia, speaking to Politico The Medie Mayhem
O
 nce the sculpture was installed in Parliament, it quickly reached audiences around the world through social and traditional media. While news agencies and outlets such as CNN, Vanity Fair, Times of India and The Art Newspaper were asking for interviews, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok were overflowing with images of the exhibition. On 7 October, a photograph of the sculpture even became the most talked-about post on all of Reddit. My own collection of media ended with a 759-page document.For better or worse, the sculpture’s political message did not go unnoticed either. MAGA supporters and Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon were furious, while AfD and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico demanded its removal. The Iranian regime—whose human rights abuses I have protested against in collaboration with Amnesty International—chose instead to make a LEGO propaganda video about the sculpture.
On the other—and far larger—side, the response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel thought the golden Trump had a nice ass, while literally millions of social media users expressed their support for the sculpture.
The 3D-Printed Street Art in the Parliament
When I say the exhibition lasted three days, that is not entirely true. It is still there—all over Parliament. We had 3D-printed 5,000 miniature sculptures and handed them out to anyone who wanted one. And almost everyone did. Word spread to Brussels, where those who were not in Strasbourg asked others to bring a figurine back for them.
 Despite the far right’s outrage, even they could not resist the sculpture’s humour. Many MEPs from AfD and Patriots stopped by the exhibition, quickly picked up a figurine and slipped away again. And although they may have posted an angry video, you can be sure that little naked, golden, 3D-printed Trumps are exhibited in plenty of far-right offices in the EU right now.In this way the sculpture is now on display throughout the European Parliament’s buildings in both Strasbourg and Brussels. And the exhibition’s host, Per Clausen of The Left, has become a very popular man: we left him a box of figurines to hand out when we departed. Although the large golden sculpture is no longer there, the 3D prints will continue to spark conversations among parliamentarians about how to protect themselves against the orange plague.
Over the past year, we have printed and distributed more than 25,000 Orange Plague figurines, and people often tell they have seen it displayed in stores and office descs they have visited.
 The Global 3D Street ArtFrom the European Parliament to the World. Thousands of 3D printers around the world are now producing little Orange Plagues. The miniature sculptures were not only in demand at Parliament. As media coverage spread, people everywhere discovered them, and hundreds wrote to ask if they could please buy one. They have all received this printing guide and many have used it to get a statue.
When I exhibit my sculptures, it has often troubled me that their physical location limits their reach, even though their messages are relevant to people around the world. That is why I have made the 3D-printing file available online, so anyone can print their very own statue—or several, to hand out as political statements or give as gifts. At the time of writing, more than 5,000 people have downloaded the 3D-printing file. The figurines are being handed out at No Kings demonstrations and will undoubtedly find their way under many Christmas trees. They also make excellent Halloween horrors.
 Next Stop: COP31 in TurkeyAll in all, it has been an extraordinary experience, but there is no time to rest on our laurels. I am now getting my vehicle ready for the COP31 climate summit in Turkey, packing sculptures and 3D printing like mad (I plan to bring 10.000 to hand out).
The Orange Plague will make another appearance there, this time riding a mobility scooter. Behind him, will tow a six-metre-tall, smoking Statue of Liberty called Freedom to Pollute. I am also bringing an entire army of polar bears to help push the heavy statue.
If you will be in Turkey for COP31, please get in touch—you can lend a hand in a polar bear costume.
For now, thank you for following along. I hope you will join me for the next stage of my journey in Turkey through the coming newsletters.
All the best
Jens Galschiøt
 Phone / WhatsApp / Signal: +45 4044 7058
Phone / WhatsApp +45 6170 3083 Email: Jens@galschiot.com
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