I am pissed
And it is not because I am religious, or that I am Catholic (I no longer am, for the record). But when some charlatan (who shall not be named, baka sumikat pa) sticks a penis on the forehead of Jesus and calls it art, yes that pisses me off.
I am pissed in the same way I am pissed that corporate execs can put together a committee to string together words and notes, makes Britney Spears perform it, then call it music. I am pissed because these fools dare call that garbage art. I am pissed because I am an artist.
That is not art. Shame on all those who dare call it that.
Tang na talaga!
ReplyDeleteAt dun sa mga magtatanggol sa mga ulol na ito at sabihing "freedom of expression" ang mga iyon: Kung pagbabarilin ko kayo dahil freedom of expression ko iyon, ayos lang ba?
Freedom is NOT the ability to do anything you'd like to do. But rather it is ability to choose and decide to do what is GOOD.
Mga abusadong ulul!
Naalala ko tuloy si Rosanna Roces, nung bata pa siya at star ng Seiko Films. Uso kasi nun na maging reason ay "for art's sake" ang dahilan para gumawa ng soft-core porn. Para kay Osang, "Pambili ng bigas" yun, at hindi art-sake-tienes. Buti pa si Osang, may kaunting katinuan.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is entitled to their opinions and I respect yours. However, I've been doing some thinking lately regarding this issue. Technically, I am Catholic (which I believe is the majority of the PH population), but I no longer practice the rituals nor do I hold onto the beliefs of the Church. IMHO, art is SUBJECTIVE. It may appear:
ReplyDelete-nonsensical to some
-offensive to some
-innovative/creative to some, etc.
The artist's interpretation of art appeared offensive to the Church but it is not offensive to all.
I haven't seen the piece nor do I know the meaning behind it yet so I won't be concluding that the artist is an "abusive asshole". We don't hear anyone crying foul over images of Jesus Christ being beaten or being impaled on a cross. (Is the controversial piece being displayed publicly? Or just a private showing?) How's about let's put ourselves in the artist's shoes?
Just a random-might-appear-stupid-thought, if I am a person raised without any religion nor its teachings, and I see a picture of a man with a penis on his forehead. My initial reaction might be "I don't get it", given that my logic/male instinct states that the penis should be located "below", and might conclude that it is an interpretation of mutated/alien life form.
Apologies for the long post.
i agree Don Dee. they went far and beyond.
ReplyDeletePapano kung niloloko tayo nung artist? Pautot lang nya na kunyaring art daw? How to tell? I agree its not that it could be offensive per se, but rather whether or not such crassness can be construed to have any artistic merit at all. From where I'm standing, no one has given their two cents as to what is the merit behind the questioned 'art'.
ReplyDeleteWhat if the "artist" had used the face of say, Bruce Willis, instead of Jesus? Would we even be debating the "artfulness" of the work? Kumusta composition? Technique? Execution? Any high school student can do what that charlatan did. It is a poorly executed cheap stunt. Anyone can be (in)famous on youtube by tossing kittens in the river. Art ba yun?
ReplyDeleteIf you must know, Michaelangelo, painter of the Sistine Chapel (among others) actually "protested" the church with that work. But he did it "artfully". How? He used as models actual people who are seedy characters in real life. But be that as it may, no one can debate that his work is ART -- and not garbage.
As for those people who say they "get it". I call BS on that. Sige nga, aside from the fact that he used a "popular" figure as an instrument, ano pa ang value ng "art" na ito? Meron ba? Again, replace the face of Jesus with anyone else's and what have you got left? The a-hole USED Jesus for the cheap stunt. That's it. Nothing more. Compare that with the work of Da Vinci. We don't even know who "Mona Lisa" is -- and yet it is the most famous of all paintings.
I've always wondered, may trademark ba ang image ni Jesus Christ? Anyway, there have been several issues like this abroad. Here's an example: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/religious-art-prize-judge-quits-in-disgust/2008/08/05/1217702073405.html
ReplyDeleteAnyway, can anyone give me a few details regarding this controversial piece? Was the image a sculpture/painting made by the same artist? Or did he use a "prebuilt" sculpture/painting then just pasted something on its forehead? If it's the first, then he has every right to defend it, if it's the latter, then that's just plain cheap.
Again, I don't have any clue regarding this piece and I won't judge him/her based on what the mainstream media is showing. Jesus Christ is a universal figure, no doubt about it. Thus, it might mean that more people will be able to understand/be immersed in his work. If s/he used Bruce Willis, his audience will be trimmmed down to those who know the Hollywood star. We don't what his/her motivation for doing that piece, does he want it to go viral? does he want to piss the Church people? is it comedic approach to what the Church is currently doing with politics (being a d*ck)? or does he want to express himself? True, it might give him widespread acclaim but I believe that is due to the mainstream media - bringing sensationalism to our homes for **0 years.
As for Mona Lisa, the artwork has really got me stumped. No doubt its beautiful (it aged gracefully, IMHO), however, I can not completely fathom the meaning behind it (the perfection of the face, the weird background, etc.). How come it's so popular? IMHO, it can be associated to the painter himself, Leonardo Da Vinci. The man's a legend; he has created other artworks that caught the public's eye even before the Mona Lisa (i.e. The Last Supper). Also, I doubt that it instantly became popular (even Wikipedia says so).
Again, art is subjective. We don't have a consensus on what is or isn't, maybe if we lived in North Korea this won't be an issue (see what I did there? :p).
Just a tad-related, have you guys heard of the college student who drove his car in a flood? It became a viral hit. Remember how people said that he's stupid? They didn't even bother to look at the other side.
**Plus, I don't trust most of the people from Youtube, Vimeo's the way for artsy vids.
Hindi niya kaya si Balthus. Yet, aminado yun na nagiingay lang siya.
ReplyDeleteRalph,
ReplyDeleteI've not gone to the exhibit. So all I can tell you is my impression from what I've seen from the media (pictures and video). But that said, let me also tell you that I don't need to go physically down into a septic to tell you that it's all shit down there.
From what I've seen, his one "art" is to get the usual Jesus poster (that can be bought in Quiapo) and he stuck one of those Baquio novelty penis items on it. Yun na yun. Yun na ang "art" nya. (BTW, I refuse to re-post any of those images here as I find them too offensive)
If you backread just a little, you would know that I am not a Jesus or Catholic freak. Far from it. But this is simply ridiculous. He went too far.
You can not sow "hatred" on an icon that symbolizes Christianity and hide behind "it's for art's sake" argument. Meron din "art" nung 1930s sa Germany. Instead of Christians, it attacked the Jews. We all know what happened after that. 5 million dead Jews.
For all the fkkers, that argue this is covered by the "freedom of expression", I say fk all of you. Tingnan natin kung ang bastusin naman natin ay mga gays and lesbians, mga overseas Pinoy, mga kababaihan, mga disabled, o kung ano pa mang specific sector sa lipunan. Let's see you defend that as "freedom of expression". E bakit ganun, dahil MAJORITY ang Katoliko, pwede nang bastusin?
You can NOT attack the symbol of Catholicism and say it is not an attack on the Catholics themselves. This is RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE, plain and simple.
Yung mga idiots sa CCP who allowed this display, I say FK ALL OF YOU. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU. YOU ARE ALL FULL OF SHIT.
Yeah, I just read this from the net today:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2011/august/10/news5.isx&d=2011/august/10
So basically, he bought a sculpture then pasted something on it. I believe this thing should be called as vandalism. I tried to obtain a neutral ground on viewing this issue. After having done some research regarding this topic, it would appear that Mr. Mideo Cruz has taken a big leap (not in a positive sense) instead of a gradual step in trying to spread his concept. The nation (which is 85% Christians) is not ready for such a thing. Sure, he had polytheism in his mind but his execution/way of presenting it should have kept its pace. It's like watching a movie where you are just starting to grasp what the story is then boom, end credits. You are left with unanswered questions which will then be devoured by the anger towards the movie because you felt cheated on.
Agreed that an attack to an organization's symbol means an attack to its members. However, only those who firmly believe and adhere to it's principles are the ones who would strike back. It could be similar to a nation's flag. The burning of the nation's flag is a sign of great disrespect towards the nation and its people. Yet, we see flags being burnt in rallies. An effigy of the nation's president in flames is displayed in public. Aren't we supposed to be affected by such? After all, the nation (majority) voted for him.
As for attacking the other sectors, freedom of expression won't protect them. Why? Basically, there are laws prohibiting people to do so. I made a sexist article, boom, sue me for discrimination. Well, if it clearly points out that my actions were fueled by anger/hate towards women, then I'm guilty of having committed discrimination. People felt offended by Mideo's art? Kasuhan. Want to win the case? Provide facts and legal evidence. If it appeared as a type of hate crime towards Catholics, submit the facts that could support the claim. As long as people get fair trials, I won't complain. But if the court is already judging the person even before he is proven guilty, then that's just messed up.
As for the septic tank, may naalala akong line from someone: sure it's a pile of shit but what if there's a gem hidden in it, someone's got to dig through that shit and find it. If there's none, then too freakin' bad. If there is, then jackpot. Will it be enough to replace the pride you've lost? That depends. :p
**changed my display name btw
Fair enough ineedsatire/ralph. I agree with your last comment. Ang medyo ironic lang na nakita ko dito ay nung mag exercise naman ng "freedom of expression" yung mga na-offend sa "art" na ito. Pansin mo ba? Parang yung mga nag de-defend ay bigla na namang ayaw nila mag-exercise ng same right yung other side. Kesyo art daw yun kaya dapat i-defend (no matter what). Sa akin lang kasi, kung bastusan na ang usapan (which that depiction clearly is), wala ng room for an intellectual discourse -- a middle finger salute to their faces will more than suffice. And yeah, I'm sticking one right up their faces right now. That is me exercising my right to "freedom of expression". If ever I see this "artist" anywhere -- I'd stick one to his nose. Tingnan ko lang tigas nya talaga.
ReplyDeleteeven if there is no proof that jesus christ looked exactly like that, there are people who have sentiments for that image. and when someone does something like under the guise of art, it will definitely make those people feel maligned. it was an invitation actually on the part of the artist kaya he should have seen it coming -- the retaliation.
ReplyDeletei saw some of his "art works" from his other exhibits on facebook and all i can say is that they're all full of crap! there was one picture that showed an old altar (or old glass casing used to hold religious figures) and stuffed it with RUBBISH! then another one was posters of different politicians and mama mary and jesus christ all jumbled together.. the point is, is this really what that freak and everyone who supports him call art? i mean what the hell?! has the world gone really mad? it's plain to see that he's just trying to create a buzz! but is it worth it!
ReplyDeletetsk tsk