Melbourne singer Wentworth turned heads at this year’s ARIAs, staging a ‘Last Supper’ stunt outside the event in what he said was an effort to call out ‘woke cancel culture’.
Wentworth – whose real name is Charles Corby and is reportedly related to Matt Corby – set up something of a re-imagining of Leonardo da Vinci’s famed painting outside last night’s (November 24) event, dubbing the scene “Wentworth’s Last Supper”. His ‘guests’ were 12 3D-printed celebrities, who have all for one reason or another been at the forefront of controversy in recent years.
Among them were people like alleged sexual abusers Kevin Spacey and Marilyn Manson, alleged domestic abuse offenders Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, and Kanye West, whose recent antisemitic comments lost the rapper billions of dollars and a number of brand partnerships.
Speaking about the stunt in a press statement sent out Friday (November 25), Wentworth said he’d wanted “to get people thinking”. “Mental health is such a huge issue in today’s world,” he said. “Not only are people different, they also struggle and sometimes they do and say things that we may not agree with, however as a society we need to be more tolerant and accepting of people.”
“It is very easy to blank out and cancel people who do not fit into our linear thinking of what people should look like, or how they should behave, or what they should say.”
He added that he doesn’t “condone poor behaviour” – of which many of his ‘Last Supper’ guests have been accused – but also values “a person’s right to be themselves and to seek the opportunity to belong rather than fit in”.
Wentworth had previously appeared at the ARIAs in 2015, when he entered the red carpet in a giant cocoon, flanked by a trio of oiled-up men.
Wentworth’s appearance outside the ceremony yesterday coincided with the release of an EP titled ‘Pop Genius’, comprising five bizarre tracks including ‘Wiggle Wiggle Boom’ and ‘Booty Sha Boom’. The cover art is equally perplexing, with five animated Wentworths covered in fake teeth, fish, lobsters, mice and snails. Listen to it below.
“I want people to know that regardless of who you are, you are OK,” Wentworth’s statement continued. “I have spent the last year battling serious mental health issues and it is important to me that people understand the mental health struggles of the LGBTQI+ community.
“I aim to create a safe space for this community and show people that they are not alone. You can and should be your authentic self”, he said.