How can this sick display of cruelty be considered art????

An 'artist' Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has taken a dog from the street, he tied him to a rope in an art gallery, starving him to death.

For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful 'masterpiece' based on the dog's agony, until eventually he died.

But this is not all... the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.

Click on the following link :
http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/pet ition-sign.html

Please stop this sick display of cruelty. Watching another sentient creature starve to death is not art, it is inhumane and wrong.

http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/jl...
http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/jl...

We need to stop this madness. It's not art!

the link is not working just copy and paste into a new window. Thanks.

it makes you despair how low people will sink, absolutely no respect for animals, this man is just sick!!!!!

And as for the visitors they should be really ashamed of their selves, its disgusting!!

Apparently a petition went to the owners of the gallery and they refused to remove it, they are just as sick for allowing it.

I think its good to keep the petitions going, I wouldn't give a stuff about art if it had been in my area, I would of done everything I could to rescue the little dog! :(

Ive just looked at the link Apres vous and I was nearly sick, THIS HAS GOT TO BE STOPPED!!!!!!! ANOTHER ANIMAL CAN NOT BE MADE TO SUFFER!!!

Tom G's answer is very interesting and thought-provoking, and persuasive. While I find it utterly abhorrent to deliberately starve any creature, I do have to concede that this does not preclude it from being "art". By the same reasoning, though, Hitler could also be described as an artist of sorts - same phenomenon, albeit on a vastly different scale.

i cant link it at the moment but sooo trust you,as i have come across this evil sickening stuff over the years.im also afraid to look at the moment cos my dog is very sick and im a crying mess already and i miss him as he is still at the vet. i will try sign this petition cheers :)

I saw a group about this on Facebook. I think it's absolutely DISGUSTING that someone could harm an innocent helpless animal just to make money off of it/be famous for it. If you ask me, there is a special place in h-e double hockey sticks for that man.

I am horrified and appalled. I viewed the blog where the pictures can be seen at http://elperritovive.blogspot.com/ and I signed the petition then forwarded to my friends.

I just have no words. I need a tissue.

P.S. I think ct1980 meant the artist and not the dog.

I read about this and it broke my heart, i signed the petition with every email i could, it is cruelty not art i can't believe they arent doing anything to him. he shoudl be locked up or better yet starved to death.

That is sick. Isn't it considered cruelty? Perhaps someone should do that with him and call it art. It's the same thing. *shakes head*
How pitiful.

Since artists are usually so self righteous about suffering for art, why doesn't this piece of sh*t Habacuc starve himself?

I can't watch it because it'll upset me. but from what i've read that is sick. we should tie him to a pole and starve him to death.

I signed those petitions and joined the group on Facebook! As an animal lover, vegetarian, artist, and just plain human - I AM SO AGAINST THIS MAN! Spreadin' the word!

Oh my gosh.:( I am wondering why law enforcement has not or did not step in and stop this craziness.

really i would enjoy seeing him tied up and starved to death with a bowl of food and some water inches out of reach

Still didn't work for me.

Someone should kill that man. People like that have no business living.

i was too afraid to see the pictures...

omg. that is so SICK. as in a BAD SICK. AS IN HE'S A PSYCHO SICK.

This is just too cruel. Poor doggy. =(

This is sick.
If someone did that to a human they wouldn't consider it art! Why do this to an innocent animal?!

wow that's sick, since when did helpless dieing animals become art?

Sick...what the hell is wrong with people?

is there something u can sign?
cuz the link is confusing me

thats guy disgust me....

Art is the intention of the artist. Clearly he said it was art, and that is what it is. Your argument of it not being art is faulty. It is possible to say it is unethical because of its exploitation of a living animal, but that does not stop it from being art. And is there any difference from showing a dying animal, and eating a dead animal. Clearly there is not. If you want to stop this artist go and free the dog when he displays it again. That is moral action. A petition saying his art is not art is worthless. Furthermore art is to inspire people and invoke emotions clearly this piece has affected you, and by this definition of art this means it is good art, because it has done its job.

There are lots of places now saying that the dog was actually fed and allowed to escape after this. I am for animal rights, but I do think that this displays a strong message as art. It says a lot about us as people. Would so many people have spoken out if he were left to die in the streets (as he was before he was taken for this exhibit)? No, because many dogs are out there dying and being mistreated. Just beause someone took the already starving dog and put it on the leash it is considered cruelty. What about the person who abandoned the dog on the streets?

what on earth are you blabbling on about?

A Body in Motion and Kaitlyn W are exactly correct.

While the immediate reaction to the dog starving is one of repulsion, one must also ask: Why didn't anyone simply feed the dog?

Were they afraid to touch the dog because of its perceived value as "art?"

If it's not art, then why aren't the people walking around it being blamed for its starvation?

Had the dog not been declared by the artist to be "art", then would it have been fed? Would the process have been interrupted?

Should art be interrupted if it's causing such a stir?

That being said, clearly the project is beyond the understanding of what most "normal" people consider art.

I use the term "normal" because most people without training in conceptual art in all of its literally infinite forms don't take into mind the rather cerebral angle you must take when contemplating its very existence.

There is a conceptual artist name Chris Burden who, for the 'sake of art', had his friend deliberately shoot him in the arm with a rifle. Why would someone do this? It's a statement about trust and mistrust in humanity. But of course, it can mean anything to anyone.
http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/Web...

Conceptual artist Damien Hirst hacks up sheep, sharks, and cows for his art. It's not necessarily about the visual; but rather the ideas and reaction of the viewers.
Check out his "freeze" exhibition, http://www.artchive.com/artchive/H/hirst...

In it's time, this exhibition arguably caused more of a stir than Habacuc's.

If you don't understand what the artist is doing, then just feed the dog.

I'm sure the artist would find the act of the dog being fed to be an interesting disruption in the ultimate interpretation of his project. Perhaps you should start a petition to "feed the dog" instead.