An LGBTQ performance artist has had Donald Trump’s famous slogan tattooed onto his anus.

In front of an engrossed audience at the Defibrillator Gallery in Chicago, Spanish artist Abel Azcona crouched over and spread his cheeks for a tattoo artist.

Two “very painful” hours later, he had the iconic “Make America Great Again” message permanently tattooed in a circle around his anus, with stars at the beginning and end for added effect.

After Azcona’s anus was branded with the favoured message of both Donald Trump and the alt-right, he explained it was an act of protest against the president.

Azcona, who has exhibited his work in 45 countries, told PinkNews that the way Trump was treating the US was comparable to his own experiences of sexual abuse as a child.

He recalled being “adopted by an ultra-conservative family, and with multiple experiences of sexual abuse and child abuse” after his mother, a prostitute, left him soon after birth.

“The motto I have tattooed in my anus is a fascist motto.

“A motto that makes the ultra-catholic church, the patriarchy and people as despicable as Donald Trump (able to) abuse and use us however they want.”

This was “exactly the same as they did with me as a child,” he said.

Azcona explained that he chose to tattoo his anus specifically for its powerful symbolism.

“The anus is a land of pleasure and a terrarium of empowerment for many. And we will not shut up.

“Every time I s*** or someone penetrates me, I will pass on that racist and homophobic phrase.”

Azcona said the crowd who watched him get the tattoo live had responded with “shouts of encouragement, applause – and some faces of disgust.”

But the backlash, Azcona added, came later, when the pictures emerged online.

It was a “big surprise, something polemical. The controversy in this piece happened later; live was positive.

“I even received insults on Twitter and other social networks.”

Here is a PinkNews edit of the anus, post-tattooing.

When he uploaded the photos of him being tattooed to Twitter, Azcona tagged Trump’s wife Ivanka, sons Eric and Donald Jr., and daughter-in-law Lara and daughter Tiffany in the post.

It does not seem that he has received a response from any of them.

Bueno, polémicas aparte. Sigo en Chicago donde inauguré este sábado en @dfbrl8r Gallery. La semana que viene rodaje con @amandapalmer. pic.twitter.com/AEirOSGBEK — Abel Azcona (@abelazcona) March 6, 2017

Azcona has sparked controversy with his performance art pieces before.

Last year, he consumed ketamine – a drug which causes loss of feeling and muscle paralysis – so he could test what people would do to an unconscious man.

And in 2015, he used 242 Catholic sacramental wafers to spell out the word “Pederastia”.

Asistí a 242 eucaristias y con las hostias consagradas guardadas formé la palabra #Pederastia. #PerformanceArt pic.twitter.com/uxJrIktIF9 — Abel Azcona (@abelazcona) August 2, 2015

“Religion is on the same level as cancer and AIDS, and in fact has killed more people than these diseases,” he explained at the time.