UPDATE 25/03/08
| We
received the following interesting update on this story ... seems
like the dog was not starved to death in the gallery, but it's fate
is unknown. Jessica makes some excellent points about the ultimate
responsibility of the society in the country for the conditions
that many animals find themselves in ... however this does not remove
the artist's own responsibility. Once he became involved with the
dog it was his responsibility that it should be treated well, should
not be exploited in an exhibition and eventually that a humane resolution
to the dogs situation should have been found eg. a place found in
a sanctuary ... or if he really cared he could have given it a home
himself ... Jessica's email follows... "Wayne [Pacelle] has asked me to give you the latest information on the artist that displayed a starving dog at an exposition in Nicaragua. I manage programs for Humane Society International in Latin America. As you may know, the dog was brought off the street in horrible shape and tied up inside the exhibit. The dogs later escaped. We don't know if he survived once back on the street, but he did not die during the exhibit. The artist will be participating in the same art show this year, which will take place in Honduras. However, he will not be using a live animal in his exhibit. We have excellent contacts in Honduras who are monitoring the situation, and if there is any indication that he will be repeating the same exhibit, we will get involved. This case brings to light the sad state of animals in most of the developing world, including Central America. Many, many dogs roam the streets in equally poor or worse condition. The artist's actions were reprehensible, but the dog reached that state of disease and starvation due to general apathy regarding animals. Through all of our programs, HSI strives to eliminate the social conditions that allow such an event to happen in the first place. Thanks for getting in touch with us about this. Please feel free to e-mail me with any further questions. Sincerely, Jessica Higgins Jessica Higgins Program Manager, Latin America and Caribbean Humane Society International 2100 L St, NW Washington, DC 20037 USA Tel: +1 (301) 721-6491 Fax +1 (301) 258-3082 http://www.hsi.org" |
Original story:
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Guillermo
Vargas Habacuc caught a stray dog on the street, tied it up on
a short leash to the wall of an art gallery and left it there
to die slowly of hunger and thirst. Over the next few days, the
artist himself and visitors to the gallery watched impassively
as this happened. Now the prestigious Central American Biennial
of Art has decided that this was art and has asked Vargas Habacuc
to repeat his actions in the Biennial of 2008.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
Dog starved to death in Costa Rican art gallery by
self proclaimed "artist" Guillermo Habacuc Vargas
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This
is "Natividad" which means "Nativity". He was a
starving street dog captured for the "artist" in the slums
of Managua (the capital of Nicaragua) by street children. Already seriously
ill and starving, he was tied up to a piece of wire in the gallery and
given no food or water ... he reportedly died the next day. Meanwhile
not far away in the same gallery was a piece made of dog food (see below)
... the text reads "you are what you read".
Vargas is variously quoted as saying...
His
piece was a tribute to a Nicaraguan burglar that was killed in Costa
Rica by two rottweilers that were guarding the property.
And he also said "I won't say the dog died. The importance to me
is the hypocrisy of the people where an animal is the focus of attention
where people come to see art but not when it's in the street starving
to death."
Apparently some visitors asked that the dog be freed ... but the artist
refused.
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The event was the "Biennial Costarricense Visual Arts (Bienarte)
2007" which is a show of artists selected to represent Costa Rica
in the 2008 Honduran Biennale (big art event). You can see more about
what happened at http://www.marcaacme.com/blogs/analog/index.php/2007/08/22/5_piezas_de_habacuc
or click
here for a translated version. Another report can be seen here
http://www.current.com/items/85461631_controversial_dead_dog_is_art
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Obviously
this is far beyond any concept of acceptable behaviour or "art"
... it is just sadism.
Cruelty can never be art! Please sign the petition calling on Costa Rica not to let this sadist represent them in the Honduran Biennale. http://www.petitiononline.com/13031953/petition.html or in translation here |
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