Copper and ivory were two of the most attractive and valuable raw materials during early colonial times in what is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Guilty Pleasures is made of massive copper bars and ivory billiard balls, creating artefacts of power or domination that are associated with the slave trade and the ivory trade: sceptres, weapons, bracelets, or collars. The shapes resemble ancient manillas, a form of commodity money commonly used in West Africa, that, in declining order, gradually lose their potency, referencing both their perceived value and King Leopold's momentum. They also look like three enlarged penis piercings, or Prins Alberts, as they are more commonly known, addressing the controversy surrounding exoticism and the sexual violence during the colonial era, while also evoking the gradual decline of colonial power.