After Massive Outcry, Guggenheim Museum Pulls Work Promoting Animal Cruelty From Show
In an about-turn so fast that a whirling dervish would surely have been impressed, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, this week, canceled plans to display a callous and cruel video of dogs straining to fight one another. The piece, which was slated to be shown in about a weeks' time in an exhibition of Chinese conceptual art, is a seven-minute video of four pairs of American pit bulls charging each other but unable to make contact because they are confined to non-motorized treadmills.
The outcry was massive and swift. According to Stephanie Lewis, who created a petition on Change.org, half a million people signed her petition in just 100 hours. "That’s 12,000/hour, or 200/minute continuously since crossing the half million signature threshold, into the wee hours of the night," she wrote in her petition update. Clearly, the Guggenheim doesn't have their pulse on public sentiment when it comes to animal rights and animal welfare.
The dogs in these exhibits experience the same emotions that you, I, and our beloved animal companions do. They're emotionally complex and highly intelligent living beings, not props. They are not participating willingly, and no one should force sentient beings into stressful situations for the sake of "art" or "sport."
People who are entertained by watching animals try to fight each other have twisted interests that the Guggenheim should not cater to. After they've been forced to fight, dogs are mangled, bloody, soaked in urine and saliva, unable to walk and barely able to stand, and covered with cuts, bruises and scars. The "losers" of these disgusting fights are often killed by their handlers. Dogfighting is reprehensible, and each of us can help stop it.
Real dogs were used when the piece was first shown in 2003 in Beijing, and even if the Guggenheim were only planning to feature the video, by doing so, it is nevertheless promoting dogfighting. Showcasing dogs in these stressful situations is just as wrong as showing it live.
The museum posted the following statement last night:
Out of concern for the safety of our staff, visitors, and participating artists, we have decided against showing the art works "Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other" (2003), "Theater of the World" (1993), and "A Case Study of Transference" (1994) in the upcoming exhibition "Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World." Although these works have been exhibited in museums in Asia, Europe, and the United States, we regret that threats of violence have made our decision necessary. As an arts institution committed to presenting a multiplicity of voices, we are dismayed that we must withhold works of art. Freedom of expression has always been and will remain a paramount value of the Guggenheim.
While it is a victory that the museum bowed to the massive outcry of animal advocates and decided to not display the works, their statement leaves much to be desired, as they made it clear that the decision wasn't because they agreed that the works promoted dogfighting, but because they were concerned for the safety of people. That's all well and good, but by saying that they are "dismayed that we must withhold works of art," the museum is acknowledging that it simply does not understand that the promotion of animal cruelty isn't art. And the huge opposition to these works is a clear indication that they are out of step with the public on the issue.
Crush videos, in which fetishists kill small animals by stepping on them, could also be seen as "just videos," but people who make them have been arrested and convicted of cruelty to animals—and rightfully so. The so-called "artists" here who feel that they have to hurt animals in order to make a point should be handled in the same way.
Dogfighting is illegal in the U.S. in all 50 states, and celebrating the cruel blood sport in any way or treating it as though it were acceptable by calling it "art" is as damaging as it is ludicrous. Animal abuse is never justifiable.
It's likely that many, if not all, of the activists and animal advocates who came out against the Guggenheim have no wish to stifle artistic activity or talent, but withdrawing this vile act of cruelty disguised as creativity was the right thing to do. Abusing animals should never be taken lightly, and because the museum is not a circus but a temple of fine art. China has no meaningful laws that protect animals, so withdrawing these pieces would serve to send it and its artists the important message that animals are not props and that they deserve respect.
The College Art Association (CAA) has several principles in place for artists who engage in any practice using live animals, including that "[n]o work of art should, in the course of its creation, cause physical or psychological pain, suffering, or distress to an animal." It is obvious to anyone watching "Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other" that the dogs who were used in this video are experiencing a high level of stress.
The Guggenheim and all other museums of art should follow the lead of the CAA and implement policies that prohibit the display of any work of art that was created by causing any animal physical or psychological suffering, pain or distress.
Animals exist for their own reasons and are not ours to use and exploit. Teaching respect and appreciation for all animals is key to building a better, more compassionate society.
No comments: