The Art of Controversy

A long time ago, in a gallery, far far away…

Well… not that far, just Costa Rica. And… not too long ago, perhaps 2007. The artist Guillermo Habacuc Vargas held an exhibition in 2007 featuring a dog starving to death in front of dozens of onlookers. This guy actually tied a dog to a wall with food being just out of reach; even telling people not to feed it. It’s a controversial topic and everybody should know the facts before you judge. There are two sides to the story, one side is exactly what I just said. The dog was on display, starved with no human intervention and eventually died. The gallery claimed the dog was fed after hours and then released. The artist claimed he was trying to prove a point that regardless of the gallery setting, people would ignore the starving dog on the streets.

We can trace controversial art way back, but it wasn’t until Marcel Duchamp hit the scene that art became a vehicle for personal and political motives that were less than pleasant. Not too long ago, the artist Andreas Serrano created the painting titled ‘Piss Christ’ in which the crucified image of Christ is placed in a bottle of the artist’s own piss. It was actually a beautifully painted piece of art and it just goes to show how a title can really alter the perception of a piece of art. Art can often cross the line – and walking the line between art and animal cruelty isn’t the line you’d want to walk on. It’s important to exercise your public awareness skills. Think about things before you do them!

Now, there are images floating around of this dog and, judging by the looks of it, it probably did die. Just a warning, if you plan on investigating this incident on your own, prepare yourself for some graphic images of this poor dog. The artist claimed he received dozens of death threats after the exhibit. No shit! Who didn’t see that coming?

It seems like every year some artist does something stupid in the name of “art.” Here’s a tip to all artists. You shouldn’t go around doing whatever you feel like thinking that it’s art. While you’re thinking about that, please re-consider using your own blood as paint and throwing feces all over the place. It’s been done before and it’s getting old. There are tons of ways to express yourself without using bodily fluids. Don’t add to the “crazy artist” stereotype. Instead of using that $15,000 grant to create something offensive, use it to create a public works project everyone can enjoy for lifetimes to come.