Regardless of whether or not it's true, the picture makes me sad and sick all at the same time. And moderately full of vengeance if it is real.

Sent by Sarah Lee | 3:03 PM ET | 04-22-2008

if it's true, it just reminds me of why I like most animals better than most people.

Sent by Stewart | 3:48 PM ET | 04-22-2008

I don't believe in capital punishment for the most part, but if this did happen, someone should tie this guy up and let him starve!

Sent by R | 5:28 PM ET | 04-22-2008

Hey BPP, can we be updated if there is any update on whether it was real or not?

Sent by kim | 5:41 PM ET | 04-22-2008

This is so....

dumb.

Really. She has done a terrible job communicating a message.

Is it real, is it not real, did she, didn't she....???

Yes it matters. Yes it does. And the issue of why she did or didn't do or did or hee hee didn't or tee hee did....

It matters because it is such a divisive issue, an issue that conjures up a lot of strong emotions in people.

And with big issues like that, there are people who really want to talk, and there are people who just want to be controversial, cause a scene and bask in the ensuing attention. There's nothing wrong with a highly controversial and intellectual piece on abortion and reproductive rights, etc. But she has yet to really communicate thus far anything more complex than the wishy-washy "debate about the relationship between art and the human body". Literally a one sentence thesis.

She claims that she had no shock value in mind, but that's pretty much the same as saying she had no clue that abortion was such a touchy subject. Really, nobody believes that.

Even NARAL Pro-Choice America put out a statement against the work.

Picasso, Duchamp, pick big name from the past... they didn't actually really hide behind ambiguities and shy from discourse in the way Aliza Shvarts is doing.

Where is the piece? OK, so the school won't show it, well... get a web site and show it. Duh.

Where is a fuller thesis/manifesto? At least a letter to the paper.

Drawing attention to ones self is easy to do. Being able to stir emotions is easy to do. But being able to guide emotions, or to guide a conversation that can lead to positive change is hard. Aliza Shvarts took the easy way out.

==========

Guillermo Vargas hurt a dog. He tied a dog up and taunted it with food. The artist claimed the dog was fed regularly, but the dog ran away after one day. And not only ran away, but didn't even bother to come back. So its most likely the dog was abused.

Again, the situation is as such where the artist doesn't have a point, or doesn't seem willing to communicate his secret point. So until he clarifies, all we are left with is a guy who abused a dog to rile up outrage.

If you are going to pretend to abuse a dog, at least video tape yourself playing with and feeding the dog so you can prove you are innocent. Duh.

==============

I've never met Randy Martin, but I've met people like him, had people like him as teachers. And people like him are why I left college and stopped perusing an art degree.

Lazy trite philosophy: one line quotes which don't have any weight or even much accuracy. Plus a focus on "attention" - primary goal is to elicit a reaction (be a spectacle) and at a distant second is substance. Which is not at all what the Dadaists were about, nor Picasso, nor even arguably Warhol.

Sent by Brian | 1:04 AM ET | 04-23-2008

something tells me this is not true...

that said, i really don't understand animal cruelty. It's senseless in every respect. Sadly, it usually due to wiring problems in the brain of the abuser and the animals just happen to be the unfortunate victims.

To echo Kim, please keep us posted on updates.

On a similar note, did that story about the video of the marine puppy tossing just dry up and disappear?

Sent by jeff stiefer | 1:16 AM ET | 04-23-2008

This is the most twisted, grotesque excuse for art I have ever seen. If the artist thinks that torturing an animal will bring attention to other starving dogs' plight, then perhaps he should starve himself to bring attention to people dying of hunger all around the world.

Sent by YK | 2:20 AM ET | 04-23-2008

I think this is terrable this man should be put behind bars, I have three dogs and have family members with many of these friends as well and to think that someone could just sit by and let this happen to an animal is absolutly repulsive! Im all for exploring the world of art but this is killing some of humans best friends!

Sent by Jessica | 8:57 PM ET | 04-24-2008

How dare anyone abuse an animal. they are tottaly loyal to us. if art is what he is looking for. by all means take an art class and have your brain examined. you are twisted and you should starve yourself for art.

Sent by Maria Gage | 10:03 PM ET | 04-25-2008

If it is true then I would gladly put a .45 slug in his head and frame what came out of the back. Then I could display it as artwork. Hell, I could even title the piece "A Scrambled Mind"

Sent by Parker | 4:59 AM ET | 04-26-2008

where did the pictues come from if its not real i'm no expert but it doesnt look photoshoped to me. the so called artest is a sick twisted ****!

Sent by rachel | 5:51 AM ET | 04-26-2008

It's just sick and wrong! If he did that to an animal what would he do to another human being? Artwork is a thing of beauty,an expression of the mind and soul. If this is what ths man is thinking....Dear Lord have mercy on us all.

Sent by Katherine Salmon | 1:28 PM ET | 04-28-2008

This is absolutely sick. If this is true you should be ashamed of yourself or better yet, let's tether you to a pole and tempt you with food away from your reach!

Sent by Debbie | 2:11 PM ET | 04-28-2008

This is NOT art. It is cruel and beyond sickening. Although it broke my heart I have seen all the pictures of this dispicable exhibit. I believe it is real. That poor dog gets progressively worse in the photos until the final one shows him curled up and dead. What is wrong with people that not only would do this but allow this to happen! Even if there are many more dogs on the streets dieing like this, it's no excuse. If you catch one and it's that sick, wouldn't the humane thing to do, is take it to a vet and put it out of it's misery? As for all the allegations that the dog escaped after one day. It smells like someone is trying to do a coverup and damage control. As for the artist, what I think should be done to him is not fit to print.

Sent by Diane Strome | 3:25 PM ET | 04-28-2008

I can't believe someone would do this to an animal. How can this artist come up with this sick behavior and call it art, why doesn't he starve himself? Has he been charged with cruelty?

Sent by Jose | 9:42 AM ET | 04-29-2008

I feel sick and overwhelmed with sadness for this poor dog. How could this be allowed? Why did the American SPCA not get involved? Why have charges for animal cruelty not been laid? The bystanders are just as guilty as the sick artist.

Sent by nancy | 1:52 PM ET | 04-29-2008

There's no way that starving a dog could make any sense for art work. If the point is to show that then man is a cold, hearted, pig then yes it conveys that perfectly. Nothing should have to suffer in that way..and why didn't the people who went to the art show try to stop this awful act. That's spineless in my opinion, maybe we could have even saved the dogs life.

Sent by Kare | 12:02 AM ET | 05-02-2008

So, what is ART for anyway? Is it something to shock and awe? like the military? Is it something to inspire debate? like debate class? What this world needs is something positive to INSPIRE, yes inspire, us to make the world a better place. ART used to do that when making things beautiful was important, ART seems to have somehow squeezed the beauty out of it as if it was no longer important. Maybe it is just that artists are so focused on trying to make a name for themselves that they want to shock and debate issues instead of inspiring others quietly. This, I'm afraid, has led to artists being more focused on the image of themselves instead of trying to make the world a better place. Art has become about self-gratification and the artists has become the symbol of that. This is one of the things that is messed up in this world. The world is so messed up as it is I don't need artists reminding me how messed up it is. What we need is inspiration to make it better. In this world artists today are failing miserably.

Sent by Michael | 6:52 AM ET | 05-02-2008

NPR needs to remove the photos IMMEDIATELY. There's no need to give this person any more publicity than he's already gotten. This is sick whether it's real or not. There are some photos which seem to show people walking around the "exhibit" so I believe it is real. (What were those people thinking?!) But regardless, NPR is in a sense endorsing the project as legitimate by posting the photos. You can have a debate about art without showing a living creature being tortured.

Sent by Andrea Khouri | 1:19 PM ET | 05-09-2008

Well Done Aliza!!!! You are as real as was Enron, Xerox and all Dot Com companies profits in early 2000

You are as real as the Nuks in Iraq
So why all demand to know if Aliza was actually pregnent and aborted for art project . Let first demand reality from those who leaves you without pensions, take you to war and dump on street employees who dedicate their life to companies which were all just a hoax.

Elvira

Sent by Elvira16 | 2:13 AM ET | 05-12-2008

why didn't he get jailed for cruelty? where is the follow-up? this is not NPR reporting that i know - you don't ever, EVER tell half of a story like this. EVER. shame on you. since when has pre-meditated, in-progress murder become something that anyone shows on such a reputable news source. would you have shown this if the subject was a person????? for shame, NPR - for shame.

Sent by elizabeth | 5:27 PM ET | 05-12-2008

What is most disturbing to me are the artsy-fartsy gallery patrons who sip wine and nibble tapas in the background. Perhaps the artist was interested in this: the cowardice of "sheeple" too caught up in groupthink and the latest "had to be there" moment to acknowledge the suffering of a fellow living creature merely feet away.

Sent by Amanda | 7:59 PM ET | 05-15-2008

What is the fate of the dog now? It is clear that the dog is not healthy and is poorly fed. The question remains why the dog was not helped and while it may provoke thought; being activily part of the dogs bad health (by not helping the dog, finding a home or feeding it more) goes beyond the depictions of an idea, or art. In a world where we do not bleive all we see because of the over use of photography and animation it is difficult for us to beleive our own eyes. There is a saying, if it smells like a duck and looks like a duck it must be a "duck". Clearly this poor animal needed help and that is the bottom line.
Maybe the shock is more about the actions of the artist rather than the condition of the dog.

Sent by Adria | 2:51 PM ET | 05-19-2008

I am ashamed to call myself an artist and art teacher if this considered "art". This is cruel and is NOT art. I hope the dog is safe.

Sent by Laura Petrovich-Cheney | 6:21 PM ET | 05-20-2008