No Dog Fights In Displays: PETA To Guggenheim Museum

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Guggenheim Museum received a letter from PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, on Monday calling on it not to include certain displays which they say show cruelty to animals.

The displays, called "Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other" and "Theater of the World," depict dogs trying to fight each other and a cage with live insects and reptiles eating each other, respectively. They were intended to be a part of the "Art and China After 1989" exhibit.

A press release from PETA said that they want no works of art showing "physical of psychological pain, suffering, or distress to an animal" to be displayed in museums, a policy which the College Art Association already implements.

Last week, the Guggenheim defended "Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other," saying that the dogs were not depicted in any actual dog fighting. Museum officials said in a statement on Thursday that the piece "is an intentionally challenging and provocative artwork that seeks to examine and critique systems of power and control."

"People who find entertainment in watching animals try to fight each other are sick individuals whose twisted whims the Guggenheim should refuse to cater to," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk wrote. She added that dog fighting is reprehensible "and it's up to each of us to do what we can to stop it. The Guggenheim can do its part by simply refusing to display exhibitions that encourage such abuse to animals."

The Guggenheim was not immediately available for a comment on the letter. Patch will update this article as more information becomes available.

Below is the full text of PETA's letter to the Guggenheim Museum.

Richard Armstrong

Director

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation

Dear Mr. Armstrong,

I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide to open a dialog about the use of animals in art and to urge you to exclude "Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other" and "Theater of the World" from the upcoming "Art and China After 1989" show.

In this exhibition, you invite visitors to examine a video of dogs trying to fight one another while chained to a nonmotorized treadmill as well as a piece in which live insects and reptiles will devour each other inside a cage. These animals experience every emotion that you, I, and our beloved dogs and cats do. They're emotionally complex and highly intelligent living beings, not props. The animals in these exhibits are not willing participants, and no one should force sentient beings into stressful situations for "art" or "sport."

People who find entertainment in watching animals try to fight each other are sick individuals whose twisted whims the Guggenheim should refuse to cater to. PETA has seen dogs after they have been forced to fight—mangled, bloody, soaked with 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 it's up to each of us to do what we can to stop it. The Guggenheim can do its part by simply refusing to display exhibitions that encourage such abuse to animals.

The College Art Association (CAA) has several principles in place for artists engaging 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 for this video are experiencing great stress. We hope that you will not only remove this exhibit and "Theater of the World"—in which animals eat each other in front of visitors—from your show but also implement policies similar to those of the CAA when deciding which artists and works to promote in the future.

We have no wish to stifle creativity or talent in art, but we hope you'll decide to leave real animals and any works that promote cruelty to animals out of your future exhibits. Thank you for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk

President

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