August 12, 2011 | Celeb Watch

Bronzed Bieber

Daniel Edwards, the American artist who courted controversy when he created a statue of Britney Spears - nude on a bearskin, giving birth - is back in the news for a Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez creation that depicts the couple fused at the ribs and naked.

The Canadian-born Bieber has a maple leaf covering his naughty bits while Gomez, from Texas, has a lone star covering hers. At their feet, above a plaque that reads "Justin & Selena Forever." a Canada goose is mounting an armadillo.

"From my point of view, when I look at it, there's a lot of interesting components," Edwards told MTV News. "Can you think of any teenage couple that's bigger or been bigger than them?"

He said the provocative nature of the piece was a deliberate comment on how adolescent stars are often sexualized. "[It] happens time and again to teenage celebrities, where they're kind of exploited early – earlier than what is legal – and the media fuels that as best they can."

And he admits the statue could have been more explicit. "If I hadn't had kids, I think the work would be a lot more provocative, visually," he said. "But with kids, I always have to make sure it's something I'm comfortable with them seeing. There's a certain line I'm not willing to cross with my kids in the house."

'Justin and Selena as One' will be unveiled at New Fine Arts, an adult-only store, in Dallas, Texas.

Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez Nude Statue: What Does It Mean? [MTV News]