Melbourne street artist gives Taylor Swift an 'in memoriam' mural amid Kimye feud
'Touch wood it lasts a little bit so people can come have their fun with it and pay respects to our fallen sweet princess Tay'
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Your support makes all the difference.Oh, Kim Kardashian and her internet-breaking ways.
Social media suffered an utter meltdown when the star posted an incriminating video of Taylor Swift appearing to sign off on Kanye West's "Famous" lyrics, which she later condemned in her Grammys acceptance speech.
Swift's reputation in internet culture was left dragging in the dirt, with every meme in existence deployed in a Twitter-wide takedown of the singer. Now, street artist Lushux has created a final, brutal image of the whole event; capturing both the fragility of fame and the hollowness of the constructed celebrity image.
Painted on a wall of Melbourne's Hosier Lane is the ironic 'in memoriam' to the singer; a portrait of Swift accompanied by the words, "In Loving Memory of... Taylor Smith (1989 - 2016)".
The usage of Smith here is likely an avoidance of potential defamation lawsuits, though it serves well as a secondary burn aimed at the star; Lushsux (otherwise known as Mark Walls) has faced legal trouble in the past for his artwork.
Earlier this year, Sydney Council demanded the removal of a two-story nude mural of Kim Kardashian; after a neighbour had made a formal complaint that they weren't previously consulted on the artwork's appearance, objecting to its "content and colour".
However, the artist seems unconcerned about council intervention here; telling Mashable Australia, "It's just taking the piss, I think the City of Melbourne won't be the problem it will be some ice head graffiti goon that will ruin the fun, touch wood it lasts a little bit so people can come have their fun with it and pay respects to our fallen sweet princess Tay."
Indeed, Lushux posted a video to his Instagram showing individuals "paying respects" to Tay; placing candles and flowers at the mural, while the sounds of Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" plays.
Lushsux often puts celebrity at the centre of his work, with another nude mural of Kardashian - based off her viral selfie - being vandalised with misogynistic language a mere eight hours after it was finished.
We'll just have to see how long this one lasts.
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