Outrage Over "Art" Exhibit

Guillermo Habacuc Vargas
Dog Image for "art' exhibit


Following Taken From Here


Date / Time: 12/3/2007 11:55 AM
Guillermo Habacuc Vargas

It has come to my attention that all the MySpace pages claiming to be Guillermo Habacuc Vargas have been created by someone other than Guillermo Vargas, but with his knowledge in hopes to stir up controversy - in which we all know he does best. That being said, there is someone among us in the MySpace community that is harassing animal right advocates (emailing, taunting, commenting, etc. and even trying to place spies in the group started up to get him banned from the Bienel 2008).

There has been cause to wonder if in fact this whole thing was a staged publicity act by Vargas set up to start an internet frenzy of outrage just for the sake of doing so.

I would have to say after some frustrating research that I do believe that the exhibit entitled "Exhibition no. 1" was in fact a real thing. It was reported in numerous Costa Rican papers, varying in content, but stating that the exhibit did occur, Vargas did in fact capture a street dog, tie him up to a wall in the corner of the gallery, write the words "You are what you read" on the wall in dog food and at least took pictures of the dog. As for if the dog was not fed, starved to death or was let go is still undetermined. But one thing for sure, this did happen and even if the dog was fed and let go, in my book I think it is still cruelty - for who in their right mind would take a poor, defenseless dog, tie him up, place him in a room full of spectators (no matter if it was a day or 5 minutes), photograph him in various angles, and expose him to ridicule and disgust for any reason? Not to mention it has been reported that Vargas had a large pottery piece (a censer) filled with burning rocks of crack cocaine and marijuana with this animal and patrons breathing the toxic fumes in their lungs during the exhibit.

I urge you all to ignore these impostors among us and keep up the fight to boycott Guillermo Vargas and have him banned from any art event or gallery in the name of animal welfare and justice.
http://www-usa.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2007/octubre/24/noticias/cartas/