Self-portrait as ‘Il Duce’, 2004
Clay and tar
height 15 inches

Based on Renato Bertelli’s 1933 futurist portrait of the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, I used my own profile with an open mouth to create a similar sculpture. Instead of lacquered wood I used clay and covered it with tar. While on display, the sculpture started cracking and eventually a large piece fell off the pedestal. The process of self-destruction occurred without influencing the sculpture in any ways. I left the pieces unaltered on the gallery floor.