RIP 'Taylor Smith:' Mural mocks Taylor Swift's reputation
Adrian Crawford contributed to this story.
A mural in Melbourne, Australia, sends a pretty somber message.
"In loving memory," the mural reads, near a detailed illustration of Taylor Swift. The years 1989-2016 are scribbled below what's meant to be a rendition of Swift's signature.
The mural, created by Australian graffiti artist lushsux, pays tribute to Swift, whose reputation was metaphorically "murdered" during a recent feud with Kim Kardashian-West.
A video posted by lushsux (@lushsux) on
Kardashian-West roused social media Sunday night when she released video of a phone call in which Swift allegedly gave consent to Kanye West to use her name in song lyrics for the song "Famous." The hashtag #KimExposedTaylorParty began trending.
Before Kardashian-West's video reveal, Swift repeatedly denied that she had consulted with West. The footage suggested that Swift had lied, prompting lushsux to "pay respects" to Swift with a mural.
But if you look closely, the artist seems to have misspelled Swift’s name.
A photo posted by lushsux (@lushsux) on
The mural appears to read: "In loving memory of Taylor Smith."
Lushsux told The Daily Mail that the mix up was "an unintentional mistake."
Lushsux, who previously created murals of Kardashian-West, told the New York Daily News that he received an email from Swift's attorneys asking that the artwork be taken down.
A day after the Swift/Smith mural went up, the artwork was altered to refer to Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla that grabbed and dragged a 3-year-old boy who climbed into an ape enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.
First they took Harambe from us and now Tay tay too? 2016 has been rough.
A photo posted by lushsux (@lushsux) on
