The Japanese artist behind the horrifying image used in the viral Momo controversy stated that he has already destroyed the sculpture, proclaiming “Momo is dead.”
According to the artist Keisuke Aisawa, identified by the Sun as Keisuke Aiso, he feels “responsible” for terrifying parents and children around the world after online trolls used his piece to prank victims via the“Momo Challenge.”
The 46-year-old artist, who has created various pieces of art for more than 20 years, has a studio in the outskirts of Tokyo.
His sculpture of a woman with grotesque features and bulging eyes has been used by online pranksters as an avatar for accounts connected to the so-called challenge.
“It doesn’t exist anymore, it was never meant to last,” Aisawa was quoted as saying. “It was rotten and I threw it away. The children can be reassured Momo is dead – she doesn’t exist and the curse is gone.”