Perspectives on ‘Kulo’ and ‘Polytheism’
Thoughts on art, media and the public
By: Rachel Mayo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
4:45 am Monday, August 15th, 2011
Media people hungry for sensational news created this furor which now threatens artistic freedom.
It all began when a television crew sneaked into the Main Gallery of the CCP and took shots of selected elements of Mideo’s work and immediately showed these clips to a prominent Catholic religious figure for a reaction. It was a blatant attempt at generating conflict, which was good copy and revenue for them.
Mideo’s art may be viewed as strange for most, but desecration of religious objects has through times been created by artists who have strong feelings about religion and its role and influence in their lives. Indeed, Mideo’s approach may have been quite grossly exaggerated, which probably was intended in the first place, to hit at the collective nerve.
The role of the artist in society is like an antenna. It picks up signals from its collective psyche. It is beyond the material, mental, emotional and spiritual realm of this collective. Art seeks to express in symbols that which affects this collective.
The role of art usually serves as a tool to evolve our consciousness on certain issues surrounding its society—in matters of politics, economics, religion. Mideo was simply critiquing on the power of the Church and its position on matters that concern him and his society.
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