The Guggenheim Museum in New York City has removed three works from an upcoming exhibition after receiving threats of violence over inclusion of the pieces.
The Guggenheim made the announcement late Monday in a statement, saying it’s removing the pieces out of concern for the safety of staff and visitors. Animal rights groups have criticized the museum for including the works.
Statement—Due to safety concerns, the Guggenheim has decided against showing 3 art works in upcoming exhibition. https://t.co/vLnSOzLydB
“Although these works have been exhibited in museums in Asia, Europe, and the United States, the Guggenheim regrets that explicit and repeated threats of violence have made our decision necessary,” the statement read.
“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.”
One of the pieces that drew criticism was a seven-minute video titled Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other, which showed pit bulls charging at each other while tied to treadmills.
I hope some key @Guggenheim donors will rethink their support after this. Animal abuse is not “art.” So ignorant. https://t.co/UZrjAq6wpv
The original performance was staged in Beijing in 2003, “during which dogs were placed on non-motorized treadmills facing one another and prevented from making contact. Contrary to some reports, no fighting occurred in the original performance and the presentation at the Guggenheim is in video format only; it is not a live event,” the museum said in a statement last week.
“Reflecting the artistic and political context of its time and place, Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other is an intentionally challenging and provocative artwork that seeks to examine and critique systems of power and control. We recognize that the work may be upsetting.”
Guggenheim to Remove Animal Cruelty Pieces from Exhibit https://t.co/rw8Wu0fEsB via @Change pic.twitter.com/TnOzGiLhX1
The other pieces being removed are Theater of the World, comprising a dome-like structure housing hundreds of live insects and the lizards that consume them, and a video of a boar and a sow mating in front of an audience entitled A Case Study of Transference.
The Vancouver Art Gallery removed the insects and reptiles in Theater of the World from its 2007 retrospective of the artist, Huang Young Ping, after complaints from local animal rights groups.
The exhibition, Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World, opens Oct. 6.
