When the Artist Steps Way Out of the Boundaries
by mariaespie Posted on August 10, 2011
Banal na aso, santong kabayo; Wag mong lagyan ng tite sa mukha ang Panginoon ko!
Filipino contemporary artist Mideo M. Cruz is now at the midst of a fiery conflict against the Catholic Church after unveiling his latest work “Poleteismo”. “Poleteismo” is a part of KULO, a group exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) main gallery. It was launched last June 17, which is in time for CCP’s celebration of Jose Rizal’s 150th birthday. The exhibit was supposed to last until August 21, 2011 but obviously, the show was cut short.
Cruz was bombarded with hate mails, emails, calls, and protests from religious sects and Christ believers. According to experts, this has got to be one of the biggest controversies in Philippine visual arts. It fueled disputes and arguments over freedom of expression between artists and the religious. In fact, it has fueled fire among artists as well.
On the other hand, it is not surprising how Cruz has taken all the criticisms calmly. He was even “naïve” when he said he didn’t expect this much violent reaction on “Poleteismo”. In an interview with TV 5, Cruz said, “I never go out of my way to offend; but I do like to provoke debates and critical thinking. Art is a way of expressing one’s views about the world, culture and history, and this is what I do in my work. The audience is free to make their own conclusions and interpretations about the images I create, but I must confess I didn’t expect for anyone to react so violently against ‘Poleteismo.’ The worse that I would’ve expected is for no one to come to the CCP and see my work or those of my colleagues in this exhibition.”
Read full article here.
