Artwork of Donald Trump’s head on a spike removed at Kent State amid backlash
A visceral art installation made by a student at Kent State University has caused a global uproar after depicting Donald Trump’s head on a spike.
The art, made by Rorke McCullough, depicts a graphic rendering of Trump’s bludgeoned head floating with a spike forced through the middle. It was left on a public University campus next to the words: “We only have to get lucky once.” This references the recent assassination attempts on Trump’s life.
The piece has now been removed; however, the university said it was supposed to be part of an exhibition for the Centre for the Visual Arts.
The project depicted other government officials in similar states of disarray, mainly with their heads pierced with a stake. The student project also reportedly featured a painting of The Last Supper with Trump and his allies.
After the work went viral on social media, Kent State President Todd Diacon released a statement on April 19th addressing the controversy.
“In recent days, considerable social media attention has been paid to a display of student art produced in a class within our Bachelor of Fine Arts program,” Diacon said. “The work depicted violence toward elected officials and in no way reflected the point of view of Kent State,” he stated.
Kent State has been the site of political protest in the past. On May 4th, 1970, four students were shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard as they were protesting against the Vietnam War. Nine more students in the crowd were wounded.
The president referenced this shared history in another part of his statement, in which he thanked the student artist for taking down the exhibit, “given the sensitivities of the history of violence on our campus.”
Diacon finally affirmed the university’s commitment to upholding freedom of speech under the First Amendment.
The anti-Trump sentiment is one shared by many musicians and artists. Most recently, Debbie Harry condemned the president and labelled the Republican politician’s election win as a “terrible outcome” for America.
In a recent cost-cutting move, the Trump administration cancelled millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants for arts and culture students. This highlights the salience of this particular art project, as it represents a practice explicitly undervalued by the new government.
Elsewhere, there has been a surge in anti-Elon Musk graffiti. Trump and Musk are famous buddies, and Musk was recently appointed as an advisor for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
