Illma Gore (Ashley Gore) (born 2 March 1992) is Australian-American Artist from San Francisco Bay Area who now lives in Los Angeles. She holds a Diploma of Interactive Digital Media from Australia. She refers to herself as a gender fluid feminist performance artist focused on work that reflects political topics and the physical self and the significance and importance placed on the human body.

Illma Gore rose to prominence in 2013 with her work Marriage Equality when she used her skin to broadcast a message – ‘my shirt didn't match my rights’ – by riding topless through Brisbane in response to Tony Abbott’s comments demeaning same-sex marriage.

In 2015, she launched another project, Human Canvas which allowed people to use her body as a medium, by sending her names and messages that she tattooed onto her body to create a one of a kind original art piece that could not be sold in a gallery or recreated. It is unfinished and has 3,000 strangers' stories, including marriage proposals, love letters, and remembrances of lost loved ones. It is a long term project only exhibited every 5 years where the artist will stand naked in a gallery for a month so that people can watch as the art ages and eventually fades away.

Donald Trump Painting

She painted American presidential candidate Donald Trump in early 2016 with a small penis, inspired by the prejudices she says people hold unconsciously about the idea of masculinity which apparently inspired Marco Rubio's insinuation about Trump's "small hands." For sharing her painting of Trump on Facebook, Gore was banned permanently and slapped with a DMCA from an anonymous third-party copyright owner. She then decided to make the work publicly available and free of charge. Gore has been subjected to death threats and physical violence by alleged Trump supporters.

Illma's 2016 painting of presidential candidate Donald Trump with a small dick became a viral sensation. She posted a picture of it on Facebook and it ended up being shared 50 million times in three days. This resulted in Facebook banning her, although the ban has now been lifted.

The painting is currently on sale at Maddox Gallery (Maddox Arts) in Mayfair, London, for 1 million pounds.

on April 29th, 2015, after coming home to Los Angeles from a trip in London, she was harassed and punched in the face by a Trump supporter.

A response, apparently, for her painting of a naked Trump having a small penis.

Here is Illma's written response on a The Guardian:

"I left my house to go to the art store.

Had I known about the protests happening nearby, I probably would have stayed home.

As I walked along Alivira Street, a car full of young people pulled up beside me, yelling slurs at me as I walked by.

The only thing I heard clearly was “TRUMP 2016!”

Over the past few months, I have become accustomed to being recognized, and Trump supporters and protesters alike have approached me in public spaces.

I had always been able to distinguish between friendly and unfriendly conversations, and this was hostile.

I messaged my partner to tell her what was happening, continued to ignore them and kept my head down, looking at my phone, taking deep breaths.

As I approached the stopped car without looking away from my phone, I heard the passenger-side door open.

I looked up, and a slender man got out of the car and punched me in the face as the group began to laugh and cheer the action on.

“TRUMP 2016!” he yelled.

I didn’t fall from the impact of the hit, but I stepped back to catch myself, and in doing so, tripped over on to the grass and watched my phone skid across the pavement.

It happened so quickly the man had already fled, laughing, with his friends as I hit the ground.

I held myself from shouting back: “Is that all you got?” My mouth has gotten me into trouble in the past and I did not want them to circle back, so I kept quiet.

I felt my eye begin to swell and the immediate frustration and lack of control left me incredibly sad.

I called friends and I went straight to the police and filed a report with the LAPD on Wilshire.

I’ve now learned that, in a conversation with the Guardian, the LAPD confirmed my account but said that without a license plate, photograph or any video, it would be hard to track down whoever did it.

I held myself from shouting back: “Is that all you got?” My mouth has gotten me into trouble in the past and I did not want them to circle back, so I kept quiet.

I felt my eye begin to swell and the immediate frustration and lack of control left me incredibly sad.

I called friends and I went straight to the police and filed a report with the LAPD on Wilshire.

I’ve now learned that, in a conversation with the Guardian, the LAPD confirmed my account but said that without a license plate, photograph or any video, it would be hard to track down whoever did it."

She also added: “Is being hit in the face a grand hoax or performance art?

No … it is indicative of this election, how Trump is inciting violence and splitting America apart.”

She also shared the LAPD investigative police report of the man who sucker punched her.

They are not able to locate him because she was not able to take any photos of the license plate, or any video proof of the incident.

Response To Violence

On June 10th 2016, Illma shared a tutorial video about how to draw Trump's penis.

She begins the video by discussing the violence she has experienced for her painting of Donal Trump.

She then takes out a large recycled paper that has a print of the 1st Amendment of The United States Constitution. She proceeds by demonstrating a poster copy of her painting of Trump that has a barbed wire wall beneath his midsection. As she removes the barbed wire wall, she reveals a circle where Trump's penis should be so that anyone can draw their version of the penis. Her closing statement in the video is: "...Your genitals do not define your gender, your power, or your status."

Human Body Canvass

Illma has made her body a canvas, allowing strangers to get their names tattooed on her body.

About 3,000 strangers world wide inspired a piece of artwork permanently tattooed over the artist's body.

Made to look like the artist's sketch book of people who shared stories of love, strength, anger, and commemoration, it's a piece that can never be sold to a gallery.

The artist hopes that it will never be photographed, only exhibited every 5 years where the artist will stand naked in a gallery for a month so that people can watch as the art ages and eventually fades away.