Illma Gore

Ashley Illma Gore, also known as Illma Gore, is an Australian-American artist, who lives and works in Los Angeles. As a gender fluid and feminist performance artist, Gore’s work is based around political topics and the physical self, the significance and importance placed on the human body. Gore has consistently gained international attention for her artwork, particularly her portrait of former US President Donald Trump, which was censored by several social media platforms and was slapped with a DMCA copyright suit Donald Trump via Facebook https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/17/nude-donald-trump-painting-illma-gore-lawsuits. Gore was featured in docuemtentary film The Cleaners The film presents a mix of documented material featuring expert interviews with Sarah T. Roberts, David Kaye (academic)|David Kaye, Tristan Harris,
Antonio García Martínez as well as artists including Khaled Barakeh and Sabo were also interviewed for Cleaners.
Gore has been featured in exhibitions in the United States, Australia, and Europe. Her artwork has been covered by a variety of media outlets, including CNN, The Guardian, and The Independent.
In addition to her art, Gore has also been involved in various social justice initiatives, including helping to lead the Japan Women's March in 2016 and raising awareness about domestic violence and changing laws around the statute of limitations and coercive control with the Phoenix Act. This work is featured in HBO's Phoenix Rising Documentary.
==Early Career 2013–2017==
Illma Gore's artwork has a central theme around the human body.
In 2013 Gore protested topless for gay rights in Australia. With the words ‘my shirt didn’t match my rights’ written on her bare back, Illma Gore rode a council funded city-cycle push bike through the sunshine state’s CBD in protest to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s comment, ‘I am not somebody who wishes to see radical change made on the fashion of the moment.’
Announcing her plans to bare her breasts on Facebook, Illma wrote: ‘For a radical statement, I give you a radical response. Today, as an artist and as a homosexual, I will skate through Brisbane topless and well, I guess today my shirt didn’t match my rights.’
‘I wanted to convey a message that revealed its ignorance,’ she said.
In 2015, Gore made headlines when she sold advertising space on her own body for $10 per square inch, calling it the "Human Canvas" project.
In September 2016, Gore made her now famous piece ‘Make America Great Again’ of Donald Trump nude with a small penis causing the presidential candidate to reference his hand size on a national debate. The piece is often referred to as the antithesis to Sheppard Fairies Hope artwork of Barak Obama and the piece that mattered in the 2016 presidential election.The Naked Donald Trump portrait attracted bids of over $100,000 at auction and was acclaimed by New Yorkers famous art critic Jerry Saltz said "The art world has your back all the way Illma Keep up the strong 👊👊👊👊👊 work. So far you are the Shepard Fairey of this cycle - but much better." An activist art group INDECLINE used Gores work as a reference and erected statues of the naked Trump piece called Emperor has no balls all over America. 
Months after the piece was released Gore was allegedly attacked by a Trump supporter near her home. 
In 2017 Illma painted "Rise Up Thy Young Blood" which was a controversial art installation that featured a recreation of the American flag made entirely out of donated blood. The installation was created in collaboration with activist group INDECLINE, and was exhibited at the Samuel Freeman Gallery in Los Angeles.
The installation was accompanied by a blood drive, in which donors were invited to contribute to the artwork by giving blood. None of the blood was tested, and Gore wore no protection while working."If I'm asking people to give blood, I'm not then going to stigmatise it and put gloves on," she said.
She achieved the subtle shading by adding layer over layer, with some of the wet blood dripping down the paper. 
The artwork sparked controversy and protests from a local religious group, who objected to the use of blood in the installation. However, the artist defended the work. 
The installation received significant media coverage, with articles and features in a range of publications, including CNN, LA Weekly, and ArtNet. The controversy surrounding the work also sparked debate and discussion in the art world about the boundaries of artistic expression and the role of art in social and political activism. 
 
 
==2018 – present==
In 2019, Gore made headlines again with her artwork titled "Loo-uis Vuitton," a fully functional toilet covered in Louis Vuitton monogrammed leather. The artwork was created in collaboration with online luxury resale platform Tradesy. 
The toilet was listed for sale on Tradesy for $100,000, but the listing was eventually removed due to its controversial nature and LVMH lawyers requesting the art-piece be removed from the site. Despite this, the artwork gained significant acclaim from the media and various celebrities.
Singer Katherine McPhee attended the opening in Santa Monica, Kim Kardashian also expressed her interest for the artwork on The Real TV show giving the piece a 'Kim-yay' George Takei posted about it on his social media Even music icon Rihanna posted about the artwork on Instagram. 
In 2020 Illma Gore worked on the Phoenix Act passing laws in New York, California, and New Hampshire Gores legislative work is featured on HBO TV Series HBO TV Series Phoenix Rising and debuted at Sundance in 2022.
==Personal life==
Illma Gore who is gender fluid artist dated Actress Evan Rachel Wood. 
Actress Ruby Rose has worked with Illma Gore on art projects 
Frances Cobain worked with Gore vandalising her Marc Jacobs Billboard campaign 
==Controversy==
Gore has denied accusations that she coerced a woman to allege abuse against Wood's former partner, Marilyn Manson. Manson sued Wood and Gore for defamation over what he calls the 'malicious' and 'false' sexual abuse allegations they have made against him. In late September 2022 in court Mansons attorney said that Gore had used an allegedly forged FBI letter to recruit other women into accusing his client 
Gore has denied Manson's claims and said she was reaching out to his exes and women who faced domestic violence for the HBO documentary Phoenix Rising. {{cite web |url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11470947/Evan-Rachel-Woods-girlfriend-Illma-Gore-denies-coercing-woman-accuse-Marilyn-Manson-assault.html||work=i-d Vice |access-date=2022-07-22}
==Early life==
Ashley Illma Gore was born in Brisbane, Australia to Michael Grahame Gore and Karen Margerette Venron. Michael was a financier and resort developer who became known for his Sanctuary Cove project. He was born on August 22, 1941 in North Sydney to Allan George Gore and Ilma Mary Daniels. After attending St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill in 1956, he went on to have a variety of jobs before becoming a service station proprietor and motor mechanic at Greenacre. He was also a prominent motor-racing driver and vocal advocate for drivers. He married Lynette Mary Hemmy in 1964 but later divorced her and married Jennifer Jean Parker in 1977. He was a leader of the so-called ‘white-shoe brigade’ on the Gold Coast, attracted by the pro-development policies of the premier, (Sir) Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Gore's Sanctuary Cove project received much assistance from the State government, including a bridge linking the site to the Gold Coast, a $10.16 million loan underwritten by the government, and its own legislation, the Sanctuary Cove Resort Act 1985. Despite allegations of cronyism, Gore shrugged them off and even promoted the ‘Joh for Canberra’ push. In January 1988, he launched Sanctuary Cove with a $16 million, five-day extravaganza with Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston openining. However, he was burdened by debt and tax liabilities, leading him to sell his half-share of the resort in 1988. He moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 1992 for a financial exile and died of a heart attack on December 16, 1994. Mike Gore is credited with elevating tourism to the Gild Coast. Karen Margeret Gore died on December 16th, 2009 leaving their twin daughters orphaned.
Karen Margaret passed away in 2009.
In an interview Illma Gores high school art teacher Lesley Smitheringale, who taught art to young Illma in an email she called Illma “quite talented and a lovely, polite girl.”" 
==Positive==
Jerry Saltz is a pulitzer prize winning art critic who writes for New York magazine, and he has written extensively about contemporary art and artists. Saltz praised Gore's work posting it many times to his social media and saying "The art world has your back all the way Illma Keep up the strong 👊👊👊👊👊 work. So far you are the Shepard Fairey of this cycle - but much better." 
==Negative==
There has been equally vehement opposition to Gore's work. Of Gore's work, the Young Turks hosts, Cenk Uygur, expressed the following: "I don't think of it as art .. She will regret this" 
Another person paid money and got ‘I’m a stupid cunt’ tattooed on Gores Human Canvas Artwork. buzzfeed 
Buzzfeed Also ran an article referencing Gores worked titled Peoples Tattoos Who Make Us Give Up On 2015 Already 
Category:American artists
Category:1992 births
Category:American people