The Philippine Online Chronicles

Most of the noise created by the Kulo installation may have already died down, perhaps even replaced by a new issue that is likewise sparking debates in different social networking sites and blogs.

But feedback on the issue continues to come in weeks after the exhibit closed down, with most of it coming from big names that have greatly contributed to Philippine art and literature.

During the Senate investigation on the issue, National Artist F. Sionil Jose said that Cruz "is not all that good because we do it when we were kids, where you put a mustache on people."

"With that single exhibition, he also brought to the fore one of the most interesting discussions about art, religion, public taste and democracy — meaning the constitutional right to freedom of expression. All this is, of course, very healthy and very good for Filipinos," wrote Jose in his Philippine Star article.

Jose, a writer, novelist, poet, and octogenarian, expressed his personal dislike of the exhibit, saying, "The exhibit should not have been shown at the CCP. If submitted to my old gallery, I would have rejected it. It is not — I repeat — it is not art! It is an immature and juvenile attempt at caricature. I have not seen the exhibit itself but I have seen pictures of it and they are enough to convince me of the validity of my conclusion."

He, however, made clear what he thinks is more repulsive: “The obscenities in this country are the powerful Filipinos who do not do their duties, the corrupt officials, who are not responsible. These are the obscenities in our nation. There are only bad artists and bad writers."

In his blog, musician/poet/journalist Lourd de Veyra, looked back at his past experience working with Cruz in a performance art festival, “si Mideo pa nga ang isa sa pinaka-subtle noon. ‘Subtle’ meaning hindi siya nag-ahit ng bulbol. (Mideo was even one of the more subtle then – subtle in the sense that he did not shave his pubic hair.)” He recalled how another artist shaved his pubic hair in the festival, bearing the message “No to Bush!”

Like Jose, de Veyra raised critical questions, asking, “Ang installation ba ni Cruz ay nagresulta sa pag-massacre ng 57 tao sa Maguindanao? Hindi. Ang likha ba ni Cruz ay naging sanhi ng kahirapan ng milyong-milyong kabataan? Ng pag-demolish ng tahanan ng libo-libong iskwater na pamilya? (Did Cruz’s installation result to the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao? No. Did Cruz’s creation cause the poverty of millions of youths? The demolition of homes of millions of slum-dwelling families?)” He claimed that the topic of Satanism is so wide that there is a lot to be criticized by the Catholics he referred to as “mga sarado Katolikong panatiko (closed-minded Catholic fanatics)” who’d decided the installation offended them.

Phalluses and religion

Many Catholics were not amused by the image of penises on their religious icons. Having a wooden representation of it hanging from the face of Jesus Christ or having a condom put on the cross from where he hangs was not something they were willing to see. Offense can make anyone do the most extreme things, and with this exhibit, we see how much people take these things very seriously.

“Phalluses have been objects of devotion in many cultures; they use them as amulets, symbolic statues, etc. They might be a symbol of power and patriarchy,” explained Cruz in an interview. It’s true that there are, indeed, religions that worship penises. There are different faiths that use the phallus as part of the symbols of their faith. However, it’s been established that many deem this unacceptable, inappropriate, and offensive.

“In CCP, Jose Legaspi did a Madonna and Child with Mary vomiting to the child Jesus, Paul Piper did a Sto. Nino out of a barbie doll and dressed it with comdoms. Alwin Reamillo did a Mickey Mouse Sto. Nino, Louie Cordero did a painting of Christ the King with a McDonald’s figure,” he added, when asked if he knew any “blasphemous” art in the Philippines.

August 26 was a "Day of Penance," according to Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, as a response to the Cruz's exhibit. This day required that a prayer be recited during mass in the Archdiocese of Manila, "to pray and seek reparation" for Cruz's "public sin."

Boiling point

The Kulo exhibit has been closed, and the issue has slowly died down. What lingers is a kind of discussion that engages artists, writers, poets, government officials, Catholics, Satanists, Filipinos, foreigners, students, professionals, etc. F. Sionil Jose explained that Cruz has “brought to the fore one of the most interesting discussions about art, religion, public taste and democracy — meaning the constitutional right to freedom of expression. All this is, of course, very healthy and very good for Filipinos,” which is undeniably true.

Some commenters focused on the artwork, some on the message, some on the things that went on outside. If Cruz was aiming for something that would set off the expression of various sentiments, if he wanted a discourse that involved the church, state, and everything in between, it is clear that he has succeeded.

Typing “CCP controversy” or “Kulo controversy” in Google will lead one to different viewpoints about the issue, which—because they’re now all up on the internet—would be very difficult to erase, unlike the exhibit which has now been shut down.

Many artists still insist on bringing back the exhibit, but doing so will not be an easy task for the CCP.

Water evaporates quickly at boiling point, then vanishes to thin air. This does not seem to hold true for the controversy, reaction, and discussion that came along with Kulo.

Image of Mideo Cruz's Poleteismo taken from When in Manila. Copyright is believed to belong to the photographer.