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Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A life-sized, golden statue depicting rapper Kanye West being crucified was briefly erected in Los Angeles. Local artist Plastic Jesus placed the golden statue, titled "False Idol," on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue for a short while on Wednesday.
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The statue featured West wearing a cloth, a crown of thorns, Jesus necklace, and Yeezy sneakers with his arms extended, mimicking the image of Jesus on the cross.
Plastic Jesus, who described himself as an "admirer" of West both musically and creatively, said the piece represented the way media and the general public treat celebrities.
"He's a genius at writing and producing but he's not a God, and that's where we put him. Until there's an issue in his life or a hiccup in his career, then we crucify him," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "We've seen it before with people like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan. The same people who put him into a God-like place are the same yapping at his heels for a piece of flesh when something happens."
Plastic Jesus added that the statue was a collaboration with Las Vegas-based artist Ginger, who is credited with the creation of the naked Donald Trump statues that appeared in several major United States cities.
"I approached him and he made the head for [Kanye]," he said.
The statue was eventually removed from the street corner and will be placed in Gibson Brands for Plastic Jesus' Feb. 25 art show "Anesthesia: The Art of Oblivion."
