Alleged Animal Abuse Sparks Outrage Against Artist

Over 1.5 million people have signed a petition calling for Costa Rican artist Guillermo "Habacuc" Vargas not to be included in this year's Bienal Centroamericana Honduras, the Guardian reports. The outrage comes after an exhibition last year at the Codice Gallery in Nicaragua, where Vargas leashed a stray dog named Natividad in the gallery without food or water as part of his work. He also wrote the words "Eres Lo Que Lees" (You Are What You Read) in dog biscuits for the piece, while playing the Sandinista anthem backwards and setting 175 pieces of crack cocaine alight in a giant incense burner.

Animal lovers and rights activists have claimed that the dog died from starvation after the show, but Juanita Bermudez, director of the gallery, insists that Natividad was untied at all times except for the three hours the exhibition lasted, was regularly fed by the artist, and escaped after a day. Vargas said that the piece meant to test the public and that none of the exhibition's visitors intervened to help the animal. He would not reveal whether the dog lived through the exhibition, but did say he has received dozens of death threats.