(Image source: Facebook)
A professor’s artwork depicting President Trump’s severed head is on display at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
KTUU reports the painting, done by assistant professor of painting Thomas Chung, is on display at the faculty art exhibit in the UAA Fine Arts building on campus.
Chung, who admits he “spent days just weeping” after Trump’s win, says the painting features Captain America, two eagles, Trump’s severed head, and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton grasping at Captain America’s leg.
“I was reminded of those 80's rock posters, where there's a woman in tattered clothes clinging to a strong male hero's leg,” Chung explained.
“After Trump was elected, I spent days just weeping. And it was really surprising, because I'm not a political person,” Chung added. “I am a social artist. I deal mostly in ideals of culture and global culture, but this election bled into that."
As far as offending conservative students, Chung states he believes “even students that might be pro-Trump supporters could benefit from having a conversation with me about why I feel this way - why I painted this.”
Former UAA adjunct professor Paul Berger posted photos of the exhibit on his Facebook page. He asked people for their thoughts, explaining his conflicted feelings about the exhibit being at a taxpayer funding institution.
Berger told KTUU, “The painting itself, I kind of found disturbing. The image itself was very graphic. So from that point of view, and as a father, trying to explain to my children what the artist is trying to say ... [it's] difficult.”
“Had the roles been reversed, and it was Obama's head hanging there, I think the outrage would be fantastic,” Berger said.
“As a free speech advocate, everyone has a right to express their opinion the way they want to express them. But as a parent and a citizen, there's a discussion. In a university setting, what's appropriate?" he asked.
The chairman of the Fine Arts Department at UAA, Steven Godfrey, said, “I guess the people are upset about the work that's being shown. If they were taking a class at the university and made art that was considered controversial, no matter what their political or religious bent is, we would do our best to protect them and protect their rights to make that kind of work in the institution, whether it would be a student or faculty.”
The painting will be on display until April 20.
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