Catholics have ‘right to get offended’ but no right to stop exhibit—CCP exec

MANILA, Philippines—The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) on Friday said people  have the “right to get offended” but they have “no right” to stop an art exhibit that mixed Catholic symbols with phallic objects.

Filipino artist Mideo Cruz’s controversial collage triggered an unexpected public outcry, mostly from the Catholics, said CCP vice president and artistic director Chris Millado.

“(W)e all have the right to get offended. We all have the right not to walk in and exhibit… But we have no right to say ‘stop doing art’ or ‘stop doing that kind of art’,” Millado said in a press conference.

The exhibit titled “Kulo”, which also eatured works of other students from the University of Sto. Tomas, was shut Monday with CCP officials citing security threats and hate mails from offended Catholics.

“It went down to name calling and bullying and even physical threats to the artwork, the artist and to the CCP. We didn’t think it would get to this point,” Millado said.

“We thought the best way to simmer down, cool down something that has been boiling over, was to shut it down… Because no more healthy engagement could occur,” he said.

The exhibit also prompted heated debate about freedom of expression, with Catholics saying that artists have no absolute freedom to violate their religious rights. President Benigno Aquino described it as offensive to the 85 percent of Filipinos who are Christian like him.

Millado said the controversy that ensued also showed the power of the art in engaging Filipinos in a discourse.

“We were awakened to the potency of art,” he told reporters.

Cruz’s “Polytheism” featured an image of Jesus Christ with a wooden phallus stuck on his face. One sculpture portrayed Christ as Mickey Mouse, while a collage combined an image of Christ with pictures of celebrities, commercial products and characters from children’s TV shows. Condoms, rosaries and wooden penises adorned the wall.

Millado said art does not necessarily have to show beauty as it can also put a spotlight on disturbances, confusion and turmoil in society.

“We saw that art is part of social fabric and not just a decoration,” he said.

The exhibit, which opened in June, had been scheduled to run through August 21.

An introduction to Cruz’s work said it “speaks of idolatry and the deconstruction of neo-deities.”

It described the cross and the image of Christ as representative of Filipinos’ cultural past because the Southeast Asian nation was ruled by Spain and conservative Catholic friars for almost four centuries before it was administered as an American territory for 48 years. With The Associated Press