An artist revealed his latest piece, "Hollow Apology," on Thursday in anticipation of the Oscars scheduled to air tonight. Plastic Jesus created a golden statue in Kevin Hart's likeness. The sculpture, which also resembles the tokens handed to Academy Award winners, holds the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. Plastic Jesus offered this work as a critique of the comedian's apology that rose from his homophobic tweet scandal.
Hart's mea culpa was received as a frail effort. “It took him some time to apologize. And it was never a great apology. It was a lot of excuses,” Plastic Jesus said.
“For decades, most countries have been eradicating homophobia and hate, but now with the current climate in this country, it seems acceptable again,” he continued. “It’s like being back in the 1970s.”
The artist expressed how the entertainment industry and its figures should display more awareness and solidarity, especially since “so much of the output in Hollywood is created by people in the LGBTQ community.”
The guerilla artist previously made headlines last year for his depiction of Harvey Weinstein on a casting couch. The golden statue was placed at the same intersection as "Hollow Apology," a couple blocks from the annual Oscars telecast.