Oscars 2018: Artists put up Harvey Weinstein’s ‘casting couch’ statue to highlight sexual misconduct in Hollywood

The life-sized Harvey Weinstein sculpture, displayed on Thursday (March 1) on Hollywood Boulevard, aims to highlight the series of sexual misconducts that have tainted the entertainment industry and the exposed studio mogul’s role in it.

Written by Shreya Das

New Delhi | Updated: March 5, 2018 01:46 PM IST

4 min read

The piece titled ‘Casting Couch’ shows a bathrobe-clad Harvey Weinstein seated atop a couch clutching an Oscar statue. (Source: AP)

As Hollywood prepares for the Academy Awards aka Oscars 2018, a massive golden couch has created a huge buzz online. Days before the grand night, when the biggest stars will walk away with their golden trophies in hand, someone placed a “casting couch” near the venue with the statue of Harvey Weinstein seated on it. A bathrobe-swaddled Weinstein figure, sitting arms spread on a golden chaise lounge has been set on the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard that is now a big hit among tourists.

As celebs have brought the #MeToo and #TimesUp protest on the red carpet in the recent award shows — right from the Golden Globes to BAFTA — they are expected to show a similar solidarity at the Oscars as well. Surprisingly, even before glamours divas set to make their protest count, two artists — Los Angeles street artist known as Plastic Jesus and Joshua “Ginger” Monroe — collaborated to put up the golden statue.

The life-sized Weinstein sculpture, displayed on Thursday (March 1) on Hollywood Boulevard near Elvis Presley’s statue, aims to highlight the series of sexual misconducts that have tainted the entertainment industry and the exposed studio mogul’s role in it.

Los Angeles street artist Plastic Jesus sits on his on the art installation on the sidewalk near the Oscars venue. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

“There’s so much about Hollywood that’s great and celebrated in the Oscars, but there’s also this underbelly of darkness within the industry that we often sweep under the carpet or ignore,” Plastic Jesus, formerly a London-based photographer told news agency AP.

The phrase “casting couch,” used to describe the demand of sexual favours for work, may seem a relic of a bygone era but is “still very much a part of the Hollywood culture,” he added.

The guerrilla artist has always worked with contemporary and relevant issues that concern people. As photos of the “casting couch” spread on Twitter, it drew a lot of attention from the users.

https://twitter.com/Rich_Bruklis/status/969568790349533184
https://twitter.com/Joystik_thePony/status/969567760211693569
https://twitter.com/duncanjayr/status/969578935527854080
https://twitter.com/SUGARTHEGIRL/status/969579944576716800

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