Guerrilla Artist Projects an Image of Putin Onto Trump Soho Hotel

Activists beamed an image of Russian president Vladimir Putin onto the facade of the hotel alongside the message “HAPPY TO HELP, BRO” and another that read “FOLLOW THE MONEY,” according to Gothamist. Both of the projected messages appeared in English and Russian, as a group of five protesters dressed in Russian military uniforms stood in front of the building waving Russian flags.

The man behind the projections is the video journalist and multimedia artist Robin Bell, who frequently employs light projections as a form of protest and civil disobedience. This is not the first time he has taken aim at President Trump. In May, the artist projected quotes from the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution—which forbids government officials from accepting payments and gifts from foreign governments—on Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. He has staged similar protests in the past and on issues ranging from the environment to surveillance.

On Monday night, the artist pulled up in front of Trump Soho in a specially converted van to spotlight the persistent allegations that Trump colluded with the Russian government to interfere with the 2016 US presidential election.

“We really want the focus to be on the Trump administration and the people around him who are breaking the law,” Bell told artnet News. “Last night was a very sight-specific projection on the Trump Soho because this is where we believe that some of the money that was laundered via the Russian government [was invested] and where some of the investors of that hotel came from.”