While the details are not clear, there was an exhibit with a starving dog and I certainly don't consider it to be art!
Guillermo Vargas a.k.a. Habacuc is an artist from Costa Rica, born in San José in 1975. Amongst his stand alone exhibitions have been Graffiti Galería Cultura (2001), Expocisión # 1 Galeria Codice Managua, Nicaragua (2002); Exorcision, Jacob Karpio Galería, San José, Costa Rica (2002); Alfombra Roja [The Red Carpet]. 300kilos de tomates (2006). He has also exhibited at the Inter-American Development Bank [1].
The Dog Exhibit Controversy
It is reported in blogs, Internet forums and YouTube uploads that in 2007 Guillermo Vargas allegedly took a stray dog called Natividad from the streets of Managua, Nicaragua, and tied it to a short leash as an exhibit in an art gallery. It was initially reported that the dog was left to die with food just beyond its leashes length as patrons passed by in the gallery. Many images have appeared on the Internet showing a thin, emaciated dog tied to a line in a room full of standing people. There are no indications in the photos of where or when or who took them.[2][3] He refuses to say whether the dog survived the show but the director of the Códice Gallery is reported as saying that the animal was fed regularly and was only tied up for 3 hours on one day before it escaped.[4] A probe by the Humane Society revealed that the dog was in a state of starvation when it was captured and escaped after one day of captivity. [5]
References
^ Young Costa Rican Artists: Nine Proposals.
^ "Outrage at 'starvation' of a stray dog for art", The Guardian News Paper.
^ Death for No Reason.
^ Alleged Animal Abuse Sparks Outrage Against Artist.
^ Humane Society International FAQ.
" THIS WILL TAKE A MINUTE OF YOUR TIME AND WILL SAVE A CREATURE – AND HOPEFULLY REMOVE THIS SO-CALLED "ARTIST"!!! http://www.petitiononline.com/13031953/petition.html
"Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same defective fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves." - Cesar Chavez
The Dog Exhibit Controversy
It is reported in blogs, Internet forums and YouTube uploads that in 2007 Guillermo Vargas allegedly took a stray dog called Natividad from the streets of Managua, Nicaragua, and tied it to a short leash as an exhibit in an art gallery. It was initially reported that the dog was left to die with food just beyond its leashes length as patrons passed by in the gallery. Many images have appeared on the Internet showing a thin, emaciated dog tied to a line in a room full of standing people. There are no indications in the photos of where or when or who took them.[2][3] He refuses to say whether the dog survived the show but the director of the Códice Gallery is reported as saying that the animal was fed regularly and was only tied up for 3 hours on one day before it escaped.[4] A probe by the Humane Society revealed that the dog was in a state of starvation when it was captured and escaped after one day of captivity. [5]
References
^ Young Costa Rican Artists: Nine Proposals.
^ "Outrage at 'starvation' of a stray dog for art", The Guardian News Paper.
^ Death for No Reason.
^ Alleged Animal Abuse Sparks Outrage Against Artist.
^ Humane Society International FAQ.
" THIS WILL TAKE A MINUTE OF YOUR TIME AND WILL SAVE A CREATURE – AND HOPEFULLY REMOVE THIS SO-CALLED "ARTIST"!!! http://www.petitiononline.com/13031953/petition.html
"Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same defective fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves." - Cesar Chavez
2 comments:
How could someone attend this and not take that dog out of there?? Disturbing.
Denise, thank you for posting. It kills me just to look at it-- but we have to do just that-- and then act. It's heartening to see so many have signed the petition. I saw recently that the ASPCA had jumped in to the fray as well.
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