Philippines' art centre criticized for controversial exhibition

Aug 8, 2011, 10:58 GMT

Manila - The Philippines' national centre for culture and arts was under fire on Monday for allowing an exhibition that included works alleged to be sacrilegious and blasphemous.

Critics demanded that the Cultural Center of the Philippines shut down the exhibition, entitled Kulo (boil), a collection of works of 30 artists celebrating the 400th anniversary of their alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas.

The controversy was sparked by one of the works, entitled Polytheism, which featured a wooden male organ glued to a picture of Jesus Christ, a crucifix with a pink stretched-out condom and a seated statue of Jesus with a red ball on its nose and red Mickey Mouse ears.

The art installation also showed various religious images surrounded by photos of scantily clad women, triggering uproar among the public in the predominantly Catholic country.

'The entire Christianity takes offence at this exhibit. It should be stopped immediately,' said Congressman Amado Bagatsing, who also demanded that the officials of the Cultural Center be fired.

'The Cultural Center of the Philippines is supposed to promote the positive side of culture and the arts,' he added. 'They did the exact opposite.'

Manila Archbishop Guadencio Cardinal Rosales said the works being shown in the exhibit represented an abuse of freedom.

'It's a complete betrayal of what is right and the knowledge of what is wrong,' he said. 'It's disrespectful and an insult. That is not artistic freedom.'

Congresswoman Imelda Marcos, founder of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, said she was dismayed and joined the call for the exhibition to be closed down after seeing the works herself.

'What they are doing is not beautiful or good,' she said. 'We have freedom but if you are hurting people, desecrating their beliefs, that is not right and should not be at the Cultural Center.'

The exhibition first opened on June 17 and was scheduled to run until August 21.

Last week, an unidentified couple vandalized the controversial art works, prompting the Cultural Center of the Philippines to call for calm.