meanstoanend

The importance to me is the hypocrisy of the people where an animal is the focus of attention where people come to see art but not when it's in the street starving to death. Sick, starving dog tied up to die as art. The same thing happened with poor Natividad Canda. The people sympathized with him only after he was dead," the artist added.

It seems most people are failing to actually understand this piece... which is exactly what makes it relevant. I'm in no way advocating animal cruelty, but the fact of the matter is that this dog was practically dead when it was brought in. It lasted about 24 hours before it died, and considering that he allegedly found the dog tied up on a street corner, I don't think this same fate was too far off. Except - instead of dying out on the street and then being thrown into a ditch, it becomes a symbol, a reminder... art.

Yes, Guillermo could have helped the dog... but then again, so could have any of the people who saw it - even before it was on display, but no one did. Even without knowing the story of Natividad Canda, this fact alone makes it a noteworthy piece - it sparked conversation and, to some degree, raised awareness. Even if the Canda angle is hard to get behind, considering he was a burglar and all, it was really the subtext that was the most powerful element of this installation.