Broadcast media fomented the “Poleteismo” controversy
By PJR Reports staff
Published in PJR Reports, July-August 2011
THE BROUHAHA over visual artist Mideo Cruz’ “Poleteismo”(Polytheism) was the result of deliberate sensationalism by ABS-CBN 2’s “investigative” program XXX.
By focusing on Cruz’ art installation (especially on its most controversial images) and falsely linking it to the raging and bitterly divisive reproductive health (RH) bill debate, XXX provoked outrage over Cruz’ work, resulting in the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) taking down the “Kulo” (Boil) exhibit of which it was a part.
In addition to being threatened, insulted and ridiculed by various conservative groups and individuals, Cruz has also been accused of violating the country’s obscenity laws. A CCP board member resigned in protest over the Board decision to take down the exhibit.
CCP officials were also summoned to a Senate hearing to explain why they mounted the exhibit, the Cruz portion of which Catholic bishops and some Catholic conservatives described as blasphemous.
“Poleteismo”
Cruz’ “Poleteismo” was only one of 32 artworks which made up the “Kulo” exhibit. “Poleteismo”, as a disclaimer described it, is a collage of images of “idolatry and the deconstruction of neo-deities (in the Philippines)”. It has been shown since 2002 in other institutions before being included in the Kulo exhibit, BusinessWorld reported last Aug. 18.
BusinessWorld also reported that “Poleteismo” was installed at Ateneo de Manila University’s (ADMU) Loyola House of Studies lobby as part of its “Tutok: Nexus” exhibit for more than a month in 2007, although Jose Mario Francisco, S.J., president of the university’s Loyola School of Theology, has denied that Cruz’ controversial work was part of the said exhibit. (The Francisco statement may be accessed at http://www.lst.edu/community/news-a-features/355-statement-on-the-controversial-works-of-mideo-cruz-at-the-cultural-center-of-the-philippines)
The “Kulo” exhibit was intended to feature artists and their contributions to a discourse on the country’s art and its social context and was a tribute to Philippine national hero Jose Rizal on his 150th birth anniversary and the 400th-year anniversary of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). BusinessWorld (Aug. 18) quoted the exhibitors’ aim thus: “It hopes to contribute to the discourses of the pen and the sword, education and revolution—topics that implicate Filipino thinkers and artists, who are conscious of the historical occasion and dialogue between Jose Rizal’s 150th birthday and the country’s oldest university’s 400th-year celebration as an educational institution. This is more than a showcase of new or past works, but more of a gathering of ideas and ideologies, principles and disciplines and past and present dialogues.”
Sensationalism
XXX did not mention the larger exhibit. It described Cruz’ work as the artist’s statement on the pending RH bill the Church opposes. BusinessWorld reported that Cruz denied that he ever mentioned the RH bill in his interview with XXX. It has since become clear that the program took the tack it took for its controversial value.
The XXX episode began with footage of anti- and pro-RH advocates, to prove that the bill has become a divisive issue in the country. The report’s lead was: “Eksklusibo: Art exhibit sa CCP minatyagan ng XXX. Mga kontrobersyal na art works patungkol sa RH bill. Pambabastos na raw at ‘di na for art’s sake. (Exclusive: XXX monitored a CCP art exhibit. There are controversial art works referring to the RH bill. It’s disrespectful and no longer for ‘art’s sake’).”
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