【1998 Archives】

LONDON -- Several artists998 Archivesbeen "inspired" by the sh*t show that is the U.S. presidential election 2016.

Even across the pond, artwork depicting presidential candidate Donald Trump has particularly experienced a renaissance of sorts.

Artist Antony Micallef -- whose work has been collected by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, James Franco and the Olsen sisters -- has produced one such piece that sends a striking message.

The London-based painter produced mini portraits of Trump on the front of Marlboro cigarette packs. They're currently on display in New York for a group exhibition entitled "Why I Want To F*ck Donald Trump":

Micallef's more recent work had focused on the human body: "I was doing political work for such a long time, but sometimes you just want to retract and do something for yourself -- something that wasn’t making a statement," he told Mashable.

Studio

A photo posted by Antony Micallef (@antonymicallef) on Sep 27, 2016 at 4:08pm PDT

However, the recent political climate galvanized the London-based artist to "pick up the brush again and play with the old subject matter."

View this post on Instagram

"I find it really interesting when you find pop type imagery and place it with something much darker. It’s that chemistry you make in the middle that I find really interesting," Micallef told Mashable.

His Trump portraits contribute to a wider body of art in the exhibition that comments on the cult of celebrity and the intersection of sensationalism in the political realm.

"We live in a world of storytellers where facts are no longer important and truths are irrelevant," he said in an email to Mashable, "Politics and opinions are polarized and you are either fighting for good or evil.

"The amalgamation of these elements have been condensed and incarnated in Donald Trump. A self-centered, egocentric billionaire being represented as Robin Hood by saying he will take from the rich and the corrupted and give it back to the poor. This is the savior!... The people have spoken and they want a celebrity God to fix things! Are we really surprised?"

Earlier in his career, Micallef was represented by the same agent as English graffiti artist Banksy, and much of his work sought to bring attention to contemporary social issues such as human trafficking and the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

Micallef told Mashablethat he believes the racist undertone in Trump's speeches "creates a really bad environment," likening it to the resulting rise in hate crime following the Brexit vote in June.

"I dislike what he’s about. This is a trophy for him -- nothing else.”