Codice Gallery Response

Dear Viewers: There have been a number of hate messages sent as comments to the NicaPOD post about Codice Gallery on April 3, 2008 (http://nicapod.blogspot.com/2008/04/blog-post.html). I respect all of your rights to express yourselves freely; however, I will not tolerate death threats and hate mail. I also think it is extremely cowardly to send a hateful message without identifying yourself, as was the case with every single hate message sent to this blog. All these messages have been deleted.

In regard to Codice Gallery, while I do not condone the Guillermo Vargas exhibit, the Codice Gallery is not owned or associated with me or the NicaPOD blog. I do not control their exhibitions or policies. While I believe the exhibition by Guillermo Vargas, as it has been described to me (I did not see it), was in extremely poor taste and unbelievably cruel, I respect Juanita Bermudez's rights to choose her exhibitions and their supposed messages. I also respect Guillermo Vargas' right to artistic expression, within the bounds of legality (which includes whatever laws there might be in Nicaragua regarding cruelty to animals).

I am also obviously not Guillermo Vargas, nor do I control nor inspire his exhibitions. Part of the role of artists within society is to provoke people, and to make them think. Sometimes this provocation is distasteful. This exhibition was very cruel, and distasteful in the extreme. Might it provoke someone to work for more humane treatment of dogs in Nicaragua? If it does, would it be worth it? Everyone has their own answer to that question. I assume that everyone who sent the hate messages to my blog is actively working to right the wrongs done to dogs in Nicaragua.

Codice Gallery has had a history of positive contributions to the arts community in Nicaragua and beyond. Juanita Bermudez, although I don't know her personally, has developed a very important resource in her gallery to both the viewing public and artists and arts-lovers in general. I do not support her decision to exhibit this example of Guillermo Vargas' work, but I respect her history of contribution to the arts in Nicaragua.

In the future, should you have a comment regarding any post of NicaPOD, please identify yourself or your comment will not be displayed.

Thank you for your interest in Nicaraguan arts, and in NicaPOD (and in the elimination of animal suffering). Vera L.Y. Uyehara