A beetle marked with a bold X—an unmistakable nod to tech titan Elon Musk—laboriously rolls a massive sphere of “dung” with blonde hair and protruded lips. Standing at 15 × 23 × 16 cm, this sculpture may be modest in size, yet it packs a powerful political punch.

Rolling in Ambition

DUMP Beetle, conceived during the early days of Trump’s second term, quietly raises a provocative question: who was truly in control? The sculpture hints at a political landscape where the loudest figure on the world stage was not necessarily the one steering the narrative. By casting the beetle with the unmistakable X of Musk’s expanding media and tech empire, Dubee suggests that while Trump dominated headlines, the mechanisms shaping perception and momentum may have rested elsewhere. The sphere—voluminous, attention-demanding, impossible to ignore—moves only because the beetle pushes it.

For a time, the partnership served both men’s interests—but in starkly self-serving ways. Trump gained a megaphone for his propaganda, while Musk used the alliance to extract political favors, government contracts, and legitimacy for his sprawling corporate empire. In the end like many of Trump’s relationships, this was purely transactional. When their ambitions diverged the alliance collapsed. A reminder that this brand of opportunism is as disposable and destructive as the systems it exploits. Musk was discarded like yesterday’s newspaper, the ephemeral quality of which Matti Dubee seizes and transforms in his art.

Dali Paper

At the heart of Matti Dubee’s practice is his signature technique known as Dali Paper—a slow, meditative process that transforms ordinary newspaper into sculptural forms that look and feel strikingly like carved stone. What begins as one of the most disposable materials in modern life becomes, through his hands, something unexpectedly permanent.

Instead of relying on paint, the colour in DUMP Beetle emerges from carefully selected magazine clippings. The rusted ochres, bruised reds, petroleum blacks, and muted greys are painstakingly layered, glued, and sanded, allowing the pigments embedded in the paper to fuse into a seamless, sculptural surface.

Dubee’s broader artistic vision is rooted in duality: strength and fragility, motion and stillness, waste and rebirth. His sculptures, often inspired by the human form, freeze movement in a way that feels almost balletic. Even here, in a work grounded in satire, there is elegance. You can sense the beetle’s struggle as its legs flex, straining with quiet determination against its unwieldy load.

From fleeting headlines to enduring art, Dubee transforms ephemeral moments and materials into lasting forms. Through his meticulous technique, even the most disposable media becomes a lens for understanding power, influence, and ambition. DUMP Beetle stands as a quiet testament to the forces that often go unnoticed—forces that are revealed, made tangible, and preserved through art.

Explore the Matti Dubee Collection