PHOTO: Artist’s Winning Miniature Depicting Porn Set Removed from Kentucky State Fair

A miniature that won third place at the Kentucky State Fair was removed from display after officials realized the subtle meaning behind it.

The set, called “The Casting Couch,” which artist Preston Poling created, was removed after being deemed inappropriate because it depicts a porn set, the New York Post reported on Friday.

“The whole thing is basically just an inside joke. I wanted to enter it into the fair to see if people could catch on to the concept. Either you get the joke or you don’t,” Poling told the outlet. He noted that he did not attach a sign to the set when he entered it.

An image shows the small room with a couch, desk, chair, and TV monitor:

Before being informed about the reason behind the officials’ decision, Poling wrote in a social media post that friends told him his exhibit was nowhere to be found.

“I’ve had several messages informing me that it isn’t there. I’m not sure if it was stolen or moved or REMOVED or what. No one has reached out to me to let me know anything; it’s just….gone,” he wrote.

Poling, also known as the Bearded Miniaturist, made the set in a departure from what he most enjoys, which is recreating set pieces from the famous television show Frasier, WHAS reported on Thursday.

His tiny Frasier sets have won several blue ribbons in the past. “Poling said the state fair board considered stripping him of his awards but decided to let him keep his ribbons,” the article said, noting he was not upset about the officials’ decision to pull the entry.

During an interview in 2023, Poling said people are always surprised when he tells them about being a miniaturist because they usually think that means he likes dollhouses:

“I just don’t look like a dude that plays with dollhouses. So, it sets me apart. That’s Preston. That’s the bearded miniaturist,” he said.

According to the Post, a work he described as a “creepy sex dungeon” was removed before judging at the fair in 2023.