Bring Guillermo Vargas to America

Guillermo Vargas, one of the most brilliant and misunderstood contemporary artists, has been under fire from international media for almost a year now. Countless rumours and accusations have been posted on blogs and from there have been printed and voiced in the media; accusations without basis or proof. These accusations relate to a 2007 art installation in which a stray dog was put on display in an art gallery. According to the circulating rumours, the dog was starved, eventually to death.

These rumours are false. The dog, naturally skinny because of his homeless disposition, was given more food than it would have normally been able to gather on the streets. There is no evidence that it was beaten or neglected and according to Vargas and the gallery owner, the dog is still alive. Now, it was Vargas' obvious intent to cause such hubbub in the press and if the misunderstanding masses were much of a deterrent to artists no art would ever be made but persecution has, in fact, stopped many artists from creating their art. Some call for his arrest but most simply call for government intervention on his performance.

What we as American artists and art-lovers want is for Vargas to come to America and perform his piece on our soil, in the country where freedom is supposedly pure and available to all. Will the land of the free stop an artist from expressing himself when only perceived harm is done? We believe that it is Vargas' right to perform his piece and that the internationally skewed perception of his work is only more proof of how powerful his piece truly is.