‘Sacrilegious’ artwork stirs uproar in exhibit

An art installation that mixes Christ with kitschy symbols of pop culture and includes a crucifix with a movable penis has set off an uproar among conservative Catholics and other Christian denominations, who say the installations are a mockery of their faith.

Mideo Cruz, the artist responsible for the installation, intended to be a commentary on icon worship, has been branded a “demon” and bombarded with death threats and hate mail since his work featured in an exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) that began June 17 and runs until Aug. 21.

Christian-led groups on Monday sent a demand letter to Raul Sunico, the CCP president, demanding that the CCP shut down the entire exhibit, which includes the works of 30 other artists besides Cruz.

Civil suit poised

If their demand is not met by Thursday, the groups said they would file a civil suit against the CCP—and all 31 artists—for allegedly violating its mandate under Presidential Decree No. 15 that created it.

The CCP is being funded by taxes for the purpose of “awakening the consciousness of our people to our cultural heritage,” said Jo Imbong, executive director of the St. Thomas More Society, one of the Catholic groups, at a forum sponsored by the Catholic Media Network on Tuesday.

“But is it our cultural heritage to mock and insult religious personages and icons? Is it aesthetic to vandalize a venerated representation of objects of worship and reverence? Is vulgarity and blasphemy a Filipino value?” said Imbong.

She said those responsible for the CCP exhibit also violated Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, “they have a liability because they have offended the religious belief of a country that is 85 percent Christian.”

Article 201, on offenses against decency and good customs, of the Revised Penal Code penalizes those who offend any race or religion.

Surprised by protest

Cruz, a 37-year-old visual and performance artist who has exhibited in such international art centers as New York, Paris and Tokyo, said he had wanted to provoke a reaction but was surprised by the violence of the response.

“You can’t force people. But I just hope that when we look at something, the process doesn’t stop at the surface,” he said.

Cruz said his installation, “Poleteismo” or “Polytheism,” is about the worship of relics and how idolatry evolves through history and modern culture.

Posters of Christ and the Virgin Mary, crucifixes and religious curios recall the 300 years of Spanish rule that implanted Catholicism in the Philippines, while images of Mickey Mouse, the Statue of Liberty and US President Barack Obama point to the lasting influence of US imperialism.

“This speaks about objects that we worship, how we create these gods and idols, and how we in turn are created by our gods and idols,” Cruz said.

Patriarchal symbol

One part of the installation is a giant wooden crucifix with a bright red penis that can be moved up and down, a symbol of a patriarchal society where men are “worshipped,” he said.

Early versions of the work, which also includes kitschy posters and souvenirs from Cruz’s travels, were exhibited as long ago as 2002 in other galleries, but the current furor is unprecedented.

Karen Ocampo-Flores, the CCP head for visual arts, said the CCP was only fulfilling its mandate of cultivating artistic expression and regretted that the installation was seen only in pieces and not in its entirety.

“I would call it moralist hysteria, I would call it religious myopia,” she said.

“Yes, you can have your faith, and that can be respected. But you must also be able to tolerate and understand other people’s views,” she said.

Be sensitive

Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, who heads a diocese in Manila, said Catholics must not be too quick to judge the artist without sufficient information. But he also said artists must consider their audience.

“There may be some works of art which… would not be in harmony with the mentality and the culture of a certain group of people, of a certain religion. I think artists and those who put on such exhibits should be very, very sensitive to that,” he said.

For viewers who are neither steadfastly Catholic nor connoisseurs of art, the mishmash of elements in Cruz’s piece is indecipherable at worst and thought-provoking at best.

“We are a little surprised by this artwork, it left us very perplexed,” said Francoise Masson, a tourist from Paris. Reuters and Jocelyn R. Uy