I Protest Starving a Dog In the Name of Art

This is an article I found concerning the artist, Guillermo Vargas, who was supposedly starving a dog captured on the streets of Managua, Nicaragua in the name of art.

The article holds that the outrage about the dog, named Nativity, was part of a project intended to expose the misinformation and manipulation of/by mass media via the internet.

Vargas himself signed the petition of protest, along with 4 million others.

It has not been proven the dog died while being used as a part of the art exhibition. Vargas intended ambiguity to help pinpoint human hypocrisy about human suffering vs that of animals, and the lack of attention give to the suffering of both humans and animals in our world.

The article can be found here:

[image=https://www.google.com/amp/magazine.art21.org/2010/03/04/you-are-what-you-read/amp/]

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Mamapolo2016 · F

Given today's news, with the thirteen children neglected, tortured, starved and abused in California, it seems clear to me we have to find a way to get a whole lot better at detecting these situations, whether they involve dogs or chldren or any other of God's creatures.

If they can catch you smoking marijuana or parking an unlicensed car on the street in front of your house, why can't they find these monsters and stop them?

SatanBurger · 36-40, F

I just found this while randomly searching for a group to put something else in, I think the guy was just an animal abuser and most likely starved the dog to death because the dog looked bad. He could have been rehabilitating it instead. I heard he only said that after the outrage so he could have been covering it up, the dog doesn't look like it was getting fed.

Strays are already exploited, I bet he was just counting on people not caring and he got caught.

Ynotisay · M

Interesting article. By purposefully exploiting that dog, in what seemed more like a "prank" than art is, to me, so very wrong on many levels.

Mamapolo2016 · F

@Ynotisay can't argue with you there. I currently don't know what to think about this, except, as we all know, "It's on the net, it must be true," is right up there with the check is in the mail, and of course I'll respect you in the morning.

SW-User

if i ever met the man, I'd beat him senseless...

Mamapolo2016 · F

@SW-User I understand your position,but it is not at all clear that he actually starved the dog, although that photo is compelling. There's always photo shop, I guess.

Mamapolo2016 · F

The actual incident, real or portrayed as real, occurred in 2007.

Teirdalin · 31-35

@Mamapolo2016 Considering the dog ran away I'd assume they just picked up an already starving stray dog; since the work was based on starving strays anyways.

Mamapolo2016 · F

you may be right. Critical thinking becomes a more vital skill every day

Teirdalin · 31-35

That's pretty interesting.

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