SAN FRANCISCO.- Adel Abdessemed’s exhibition Don’t Trust Me, which opened in the Walter and McBean Galleries on Wednesday at the San Francisco Art Institute, March 19, has received numerous public responses concerning the nature of some of its content. In view of this massive response and because the institute wishes to acknowledge many of the concerns expressed, the institute has temporarily suspended the exhibition.

A public forum will be held Monday at the San Francisco Art Institute to discuss an exhibit showing looped video of animals being hit with sledgehammers that was temporarily suspended following negative public response, a publicist for the institute said.

Nonstarvingartists.com has a thorough description of the exhibit along with stills from several of the video clips in question. San Francisco SPCA President Jan McHugh-Smith today condemned the content of a current exhibition at the San Francisco Art Institute, describing it as barbaric and depraved. The exhibit, "Don't Trust Me," is the work of Paris-based Adel Abdessemed, and includes videos of six animals - a pig, goat, doe, ox, horse and sheep - being bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer.