The featured 'art' piece involved 8 American pit bulls attached to treadmills in a 7-minute video straining and salivating, but only able to keep running on the antiquated machinery. The visual is horrific and beyond what most cultured people consider to be 'art.' Imagine watching a train wreck for 7 minutes, or perhaps the bombing of the World Trade Center over and over. This is cruelty, pure and simple.
The New York Times reports, "the museum, in Manhattan, made the decision after it had come under unrelenting pressure from animal-rights supporters and critics over works in the exhibition, “Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World.” Protesters marched outside the museum over the weekend, and an online petition demanding “cruelty-free exhibits” at the Guggenheim had been signed by more than half a million people as of Monday night.
The three works, which all involve animals, are “Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other,” “Theater of
The 'art' in question, 'Dogs that Cannot Touch Each Other,' is called 'pugnacious' by its creator, Peng Yu with her husband, Sun Yuan. She denies that her 'art' is cruelty."
“These dogs are naturally pugnacious,” Ms. Peng said in an interview last year.
Reached
in Beijing on Tuesday, Ms. Peng blamed the controversy on a recent
article about the exhibition. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,”
she said, adding that the dogs were examined by veterinarians before
and after they were used in the performance."
The very idea that this person is allowed to handle innocent animals is beyond comprehension. The comments reflect a complete lack of dog knowledge. But even more, the display reflects of the desire to cause pain and discomfort by this artist.
The very idea that this person is allowed to handle innocent animals is beyond comprehension. The comments reflect a complete lack of dog knowledge. But even more, the display reflects of the desire to cause pain and discomfort by this artist.
The museum said the works were being removed “out of concern for the safety of its staff, visitors and participating artists.” The Guggenheim has claimed to have received threats of violence, yet "A museum spokeswoman, asked to describe any threats or security issues, including whether the police had been notified, declined to discuss specifics."
Animal lovers from around the world objected to the exhibit in which three pieces were pulled by the Guggenheim including one of two pigs forced to mate for the crowd with their bodies completely covered in markings. Another featured live insects and reptiles under a bright light.
