I would like to be serious for a minute. I'll warn you now that this post might be upsetting.
Last year, an "artist" (Guillermo Habacuc Vargas) took a dog from the street and tied him up in a display in an art gallery, where the visitors and gallery staff all watched him starve to death.
Now, I'm all for freedom of artistic speech but I am absolutely horrified at the level of apathy and cruelty. Not only that, but he has been invited to repeat this cruel treatment again this year.
Warning: the following link has some pretty upsetting pictures, but if you feel able to please go here to sign a petition to prevent this atrocity.
As someone who has rescued several animals I'm so shocked and disgusted, I just can't even find the words!
I am absolutely disgusted that anyone, absolutely ANYONE, could consider such a thing "art." Horrible. Thanks for bringing it to my attention - I am definitely signing.
ReplyDeleteI am completely disgusted! That isn't freedom of artistic speech, it is cruelty to animals. I'm shocked that someone didn't just walk in, cut the rope and take that dog home. What's wrong with people?? Why doesn't he up the ante and drag some homeless person in off the street for his next 'artistic' endeavour? I'm going to sign now. Thanks for bringing this up, even though it made my blood boil.
ReplyDeleteThat is appalling! I can't believe someone who do something so deliberately cruel in the name of "art" and no-one intervened.
ReplyDeleteI have signed
April xx
Thank you for the link. As an artist, the mere thought of harming ANYTHING for "art" is...vile, inhuman and most definetly NOT art. The gallery owner & "artist" should be tied up and allowed to starve to death.
ReplyDeleteThis will haunt me for a long time but it needs to be known and stopped.
On a lighter note - i enjoy your tutorials and pictures of Wales. Visited briefly 3 years ago (Bird Rock was our stop). Thank you!
Sam
To do it once is disgusting, but to plan to do it again is sadistic and cruel. The museum should be severely punished for this as they are encouraging him to do the same again. How come this was not brought up in the media at the time?
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of this and certainly do not consider this to be art. It's insane. Aren't there laws against such actions? That he's being asked to repeat this horror is completely beyond my comprehension.
ReplyDeleteSpeechless and shocked! Unbelievable!
ReplyDeletekari & kijsa
That is completely sick!! That man should be tied up and starved to death himself. I can't believe people would come by and see this and not do anything about it! What kind of demented people are they to think that there is nothing wrong with this. You'd think that just one person would have tried to feed him or taken him. Did anyone report this? How was that allowed to happen? Ugh! I'll be upset for the next month.
ReplyDeleteThere is much cruelty and deprivation in the world. People are starving to death all over the worldbecause of corrupt governments but he would not sit in a cage and starve himself to prove some point. To stick a poor defenceless dog in a cage and starve it whether in the name of art or political expression is murder. It should not be tolerated i have signed the petition
ReplyDeleteI saw this in an email at work last week. What people will do in the name of "art" never ceases to amaze me. Someone should try doing the same to him and see how artistic that feels. Makes me blood boil. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
ReplyDeletexMx
You know i'm an absolute wuss at this kind of stuff if I look at the link I won't be able to wipe it from my memory so blossomsdad has signed for me .xx
ReplyDeleteCan we get in touch with the gallery or an embassy in the area , am sure if we got in touch and tell them what his happening it would be stopperd. l can't go to the site as l feel so disgusted and who buys the art. Will stop as l could write lots but l will put it on my blog, would others as if there was a lot of us we could let the world know.
ReplyDeletePeople that look at her art should be arrested and she shoul`d be stopped,
Jil
ps let us all put it on our blogs
I had to go and put my name down, l stil cannot believe people could do this,
ReplyDeleteJill
I agree with kerri what is WRONG WITH PEOPLE THAT THEY Did not take action against this cruel man? WHAT art is this? stupidity i guess!
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable! and just who are the people who condone such an act by going to the gallery?
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that could be dressed up as art.
Hi Marmadaisy,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post (hi...lurker here) I decided that I should write to PETA and see if they were aware of this. Here is their response to my email. I apologize for the long post, but I thought you'd like to read this.
Thanks so much!
Elle
"Thank you for contacting PETA about Guillermo Habacuc Vargas' art
gallery exhibit featuring a homeless dog.
We appreciate the time that you took to contact us about this. Many
stories-sometimes conflicting-have been circulating about these events,
and it has been difficult to verify the reports that we've received.
Because the initial exhibit with the dog took place in Nicaragua, which
has no cruelty-to-animals laws, Vargas cannot be charged with a crime at
this time.
Our investigations department is aware that Vargas will participate in a
show in Honduras in November. It has been reported that a Honduran
group, the Honduras Association for the Protection of Animals and their
Environment (AHPRA), has secured the event organizers' word that the
event rules will prohibit animal abuse. PETA's caseworkers are
monitoring this situation and will take further action if we get word
that Vargas plans to repeat the exhibit with the dog. People often
commit heinous acts in a bid to gain attention, so it is important to
refrain from encouraging them by giving them the attention that they
clearly crave. For more thoughts on this issue, please visit
http://blog.PETA.org/archives/2008/04/artist_starving.php.
Exactly what happened at the exhibition in Nicaragua last year may be
uncertain, but it is clear that millions of homeless animals are at risk
of starvation, disease, violence and death in our own communities right
now. To learn more about things you can do to make a difference for
these animals, visit http://www.HelpingAnimals.com.
Thanks again for writing and for everything that you do for animals-your
letters and actions save lives!
Sincerely,
The PETA Staff"
Oh, and I'm not affiliated with PETA in any way, I just figured that they'd be the ones to email as they have a worldwide presence.
ReplyDelete