Photo: Jim Dessicino, “Royal Flushers.”

At Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, a Knight Arts grantee, artist-in-residence Jim Dessicino faces off with some of the public figures we are likely only familiar with on account of the news media. This strange relationship with individuals we essentially do not know is solidified by Dessicino in his solo show, “Do Not Pass Go,” as he casts various representations of these faces in materials like metal, wax and plaster. The result is a rogues’ gallery of real life characters made famous (or infamous) by the seemingly constant chatter of news outlet headlines and analysis.

A few of the more obvious examples of this are the politicos that find themselves under fire in this show–sometimes quite literally. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and billionaire tycoon Donald Trump make an appearance as a pair of red wax candles that are in no way caricatures or political statements at face value. They are, however, fitted with wicks, making these presidential candidate facsimiles ready-made to burn in effigy if the ideological need arises.

Jim Dessicino, “Chris Christie Candle.”

Not far away, the duo of Trump and Christie turn up yet again, this time as a part of a larger lineup, for the series “Royal Flushers.” Here, bronze busts identify five people that the artist considers major players in the 2014 Atlantic City casino closure crisis. After the loss of thousands of jobs, billions in revenue and millions in tax dollars, this hall of fame mockingly honors those in power when Atlantic City’s unemployment rate rose to one of the highest in the nation. (Trump severed most ties with his namesake casinos several years prior to the crisis, though reports by the Associated Press indicate that he retained a 10 percent stake in the properties at the time the Trump Plaza closed in 2014–an event referenced in the exhibition notes.)

Dessicino doesn’t only show us visages of politicians and developers, though. In light of the recent retirement of Pope Benedict XVI and the rise of Pope Francis, the artist created a relief of the papal pair entitled “Habemus Duo Papas,” Latin for “We have two popes.” Representing the historical gravity of this rare occurrence, the opportunity to lightly parody the situation was surely too tempting to pass up. Given Benedict’s relatively tepid public image and Francis’s social media adroitness, this duo is indeed a dynamic one… not to mention that the set of circumstances is not one we are likely to encounter again any time soon.

Jim Dessicino, “Habemus Duo Papas.”

Elsewhere in the show we can find a life-size bust of Bibi Aisha, the Afghan woman made famous after she was disfigured and nearly killed by her husband and in-laws for attempting to flee their abuse, and a wall-mounted image of executed journalist James Foley with a cast of the artist’s hand implicated in the beheading. It is this vicarious relationship in the latter that seems to incriminate not just Dessicino, but all of us. How does our media consumption affect us as a culture? What does it mean that these faces and names mean something to us despite our physical and social distance from them? Dessicino provides fodder for these notions that range from entertaining to unnerving. After a stroll through the Sculpture Gym’s gallery, maybe we will take care to add ourselves to the infotainment equation next time.

“Do Not Pass Go” will be on display through Oct. 30.