Mideo Cruz is the artist behind the controversial artworks being exhibited in th e Cultural Center of the Philippines.

His works have enraged bishops with their supposedly blasphemous content and have made Pro-Life Philippines take up a mora l crusade, threatening to sue the CCP and the artist in an effort to censor Mide o Cruzs freedom of expression for perceived outrages against their faith. What fo llows is an email interview with the artist. The interview has been edited for g rammar and clarity. Kenneth Keng: Kindly briefly introduce yourself for the benefit of our readershi p.Mideo Cruz: Im a visual artist who commonly tries to cross borders of disciplin e in producing my works. The most notable work Ive created in the past is the banq uet for which I was awarded the Ateneo Art Awards in 2007. Ive frequently been inv ited outside the country for my creative works and was awarded the CCP 13 artist s awards in 2003. Actually I feel uncomfortable with this question can I just at tach my CV? Could you describe the piece in question?Mideo Cruz: A wall collage; I started d oing it since 2002 from things that Ive collected since Im in high school. The man ner was practically inspired by what we see in common houses where people put pi ctures of celebrities, politicians, etc on the wall of their houses.Relic (cross ) originally titled relic of my nation, done in 2004. The making of the Filipino s after several layers of colonization. Partly inspired by how we got the name o f the country in paradigm to the monarchal trend of collecting religious relics. Poon (chirst the king) deconstructing the sacredness and reconstructing the icon with parallel meanings. Coca cola and mickey mouse as epitome of neo liberalism .Most of the outcry has been about the phallic object placed on the works. Phall uses have been objects of devotion in many cultures; they use them as amulets, s ymbolic statues, etc. They might be a symbol of power and patriarchy. What would you say was the general intention of your piece, and how does it fit into your existing body of work?Mideo Cruz: Im exploring a lot about the nature o f the deity. How people attributed the sacredness. How symbols evolve from vario us civilizations, how the worship evolves. But this particular piece is more reg ional and cultural attributing to our psyche as Filipinos. And also pertaining t o our aesthetic perception. How do you feel about the current threat of lawsuit unless your work is taken do wn?Mideo Cruz: As far as I know the CCP is an independent institution. An arena where academic discourse is welcome. The conservative interference may be their means of showing their power over the so called morals very similar to what my m otivation was in the work. Phallic symbols may stand for power. It contributes m ore to the readings of my work. CCP has already organized a public forum on Friday to discuss the matter, but it seems that the CBCP and Pro-life Philippines then responded with an ultimatum f or its takedown by Thursday. Have the CBCP or Pro-Life Philippines responded to any of yours or CCPs invitations for dialogue?Mideo Cruz: I dont really know how i t is going with the conversation of CBCP and CCP. And im wondering why they dont want to wait for the dialogue. From their latest pronouncement it sounds like th ey are also agitating the administration of UST to go against CCP and the artist s involved. And finally, a follow up question that you dont have to answer if you dont want to . Are you aware of any other blasphemous works in the Philippines? If there are, w hy do you think they targeted your work?Mideo Cruz: A lot has been done before u sing the imagery of the catholic faith. In CCP Jose Legaspi did a Madonna and Ch ild with Mary vomiting to the child Jesus, Paul Piper did a Sto. Nino out of a b arbie doll and dressed it with comdoms. Alwin Reamillo did a Mckey Mouse Sto. Ni no, Louie Cordero did a painting of Christ the King with a McDonalds figure With their criticism of the church, do you think El Filibusterismo and Noli Me T angere are blasphemous?Mideo Cruz: Blasphemy is in the eye of the beholder. I dont even think of my work as blasphemy; instead, I think of them as a critque but if you will see it as blasphemy, I might as well consider that Rizals work is blasp memy too.

Off with his head! Or at least boycott his exhibit. Artist Mideo Cruz is now at the eye of one of the biggest controversies in the P hilippine visual arts scene. His latest work Poleteismo is being vilified left and right by various religious groups and influential leaders, and an ABS-CBN repor ter has even come out with a column suggesting that he, Cruz, should be forced t o drink muriatic acid. Cruz Poleteismo is part of the exhibit KUL, group exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Gallery showing until August 21, 2011. It was launch ed on June 17 on the occasion of CCPs celebration of Jose Rizals 150th birthday. TV Patrols Mark Logan in his column in the tabloid Abante said many were incensed when they saw the TV Patrol report on Cruz and his exhibition. Logan suggested that those who were angered by how Cruz put together his installation art and mu rals depicting among many other concepts religious icons should kill Cruz. Dont you have pity for this person? Just because he put black tears on the face of Jesus Christ. Will you beat him up when you see him? Stab him, strangle him or push him into a creek? But before this, will you make him drink muriatic acid an d then have him shot by a motorcycle-riding tandem? Its too much! Dont you have an y respect for someone like him whos an artist? Controversial artist Mideo Cruz says that he never goes out of his way to offend ; But I do like to provoke debates and critical thinking. Art is a way of express ing ones views about the world, culture and history, and this is what I do in my work. The audience is free to make their own conclusions and interpretations abo ut the images I create, but I must confess I didnt expect anyone to react so viol ently against Poleteismo.(Photos by Ina Alleco Silverio / bulatlat.com) Maybe as youre taking a walk you might get beat up by those you offended to the ex treme. With todays technology, news travels fast! You see buddy, if you say that you have rights, what about the rights of Catholics and other sects who believe that Jesus is God? Logan went on to seemingly address Cruz: If youre an atheist or if you believe in no god, dont violate the beliefs of others! This is a predominantly Catholic coun try, my boy The reporter went on to say that Cruz work was the sort that only a pig would bel ieve to be art. His parting shot was to say that Cruz shouldnt ask the media for he lp because the media doesnt have the ability to protect him from being lynched. Cruz Facebook page in the last two weeks has also been bombarded with insults and threats, with many accusing him of, among other things, being a veritable hench man of Satan himself defiling Christ and His Holy Family. Around 11:30 am on August 4, guards of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (C PP) were surprised to discover that Cruz work had been vandalized. A Facebook acc ount under the name CPP Visual Artists released a statement saying that the securi ty aides were unable to apprehend the vandals, but the CPP has already taken ste ps to avert further damage to the exhibits. We request the arts and culture community to keep vigilant but let us maintain a dignified stance about this. We will not be equal to the rage and extremism of o ther entities. As you may recall, the CCP has always maintained that freedom of expression extends to all; not just to artists but to those who wish to speak up for their religious and spiritual beliefs within proper means and venues, it sai d. Among the messages the vandals scrawled across various parts of Cruz work was Eme deo Cruz (I.N.C.) Sumpain ka, Bakla and Bakla Parusahan Ka (Curse You, Homosexual, Homosexual you should be punished). CCP Visual Arts called for sobriety in the wake of angry pronouncements both in mainstream media and social networks in the internet against Cruz Poleteismo. Archbishop Oscar Cruz , former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of t he Philippines, has called for a boycott of the exhibit. The group Pro-Life Philippines, in the meantime, has threatened to file charges against the CCP and called the exhibition sacrilegious and blasphemous. Pro-Life

President Eric Manalang has been quoted on CBCP News as saying that if the CCP d oes not stop the exhibit, and make amends, it will proceed with the charges. Stopping it is not enough. The damage has been done, Manalang told CBCP News. He d id not say what kind of damage had been wrought and against whom. CCP Visual Arts said these reactions and courses of action are all valid as mora l and legal resorts of those who feel offended by art. And though art is representation and does not pretend to be anything more than ar t, we would like to remind anyone else who are considering violent and destructi ve acts against art, artists and art institutions that such acts are clearly cri minal. Let us all be proper, respectful and tolerant despite our different views . Not all of us are Catholics, not all of us are artists, yet we are all deservi ng of honor and dignity, it said. Critics against Poleteismo seem to be ignorant of the fact that it has been exhibi ted since 2002 in venues such as the Loyola School of Theology in Ateneo de Mani la University, UP Vargas Museum, Kulay Diwa in Paranaque City, and was also feat ured in the music video of Anghel sa Lupa by Stonefree. Cruz has recreated the p iece every time it was presented for exhibition. As for the other culprit, the CCP explained that it accepted the exhibition propos al and the artworks based on the determination of the premise that these are leg itimate art expressions by artists who have already established reputable track records through national and global awards, grants and expositions. To provoke critical thinking As for the potential lynch-mob victim, Cruz is somewhat bewildered and a little sad over the violent reactions. A self-effacing man who avoids direct questions about how he interprets his own art, Cruz said he never expected the negative re actions coming from various quarters.? I never go out of my way to offend; but I do like to provoke debates and critical thinking. Art is a way of expressing ones views about the world, culture and his tory, and this is what I do in my work. The audience is free to make their own c onclusions and interpretations about the images I create, but I must confess I d idnt expect for anyone to react so violently against Poleteismo. The worse that I w ouldve expected is for no one to come to the CCP and see my work or those of the my colleagues in this exhibition, he said. There are those who might say that Cruz is being a bit too naive when he said ho w surprised he was by the outrage generated by his work. He put up pictures of J esus Christ and Mother Mary alongside condoms; he got plastic piggy banks and pu t them inside a glass display case, the sort thats commonly found in churches; he hung crucifixes and rosaries next to wooden phalluses. Like reporter Logan said , the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic Country, so the reaction of some qua rters could not have been such a shock. I wanted to provoke people into thinking. I titled my work Poleteismo which loosely translates into many beliefs or many deities. Throughout history, humanity has grow n to create new gods and these are not always religious figures but concepts and objects. Some have taken to worshipping money; some see politicians as godsend. People create idols and these idols whether or not theyre deserving of idolatry or worship affect our lives and how we function and see the world, he said. Poleteismo is actually three walls entirely covered with various images and papers calendars, bus tickets, old school certificates, photographs, political posters , postcards, advertisements and other printed materials. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are not the only images featured, but Robert Jaworski endorsing Dr. J. rubbing a lcohol; Alma Concepcion smiling over Champion cigarettes; two Thai actors sellin g Coca-cola, and US President Barack Obama. In the meantime, on one free-standing wall hangs a life-size crucifix festooned with scapulars and rosaries, as well as a red phallus. Cruz shrugs off the outrage over the phalluses. Its symbolic for patriarchy, a symbol of power. There are those who worship power, who put their faith in men who wield power even if the power is used against wo men, or against the whole of society. The fight for sexual and gender equality c ontinues, doesnt it? But the balance continues to be tipped in favor of the phall us. Is this good or bad? You decide, he said.

(For some, the phalluses could very well represent the leadership of the Catholi c Church in the Philippines a group of grown men deciding on how women in the co untry do not have the right to control their own reproduction process, much less their sexuality. Currently the Catholic Church is hard at work campaigning agai nst proposals for a reproductive health law. It has also come to a head against calls of the Lesbian, Gay ,Bisexual and Transsexual or LGBT community to allow s ame-sex marriages in the country writer) The former student of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) is not new to the art s cene at all and is in fact well known not only in local art circles, but interna tionally as well, having opened exhibits in Switzerland, Italy and the United St ates. He was also recipient of the Ateneo Art Awards in 2007 and awarded the CCP 13 artists awards in 2003. The man is widely travelled, and has taken time to read up on the cultural histo ry of religious iconography and the origins of religious symbolism. Everything around us can be considered as symbols, some are actually only symbols more than anything else. How we understand these symbols, how we use them is wh at gives them power and meaning, he said. Among activist circles, in the meantime, Cruz is known as a performance artist a cting out pieces dealing with political issues like the interference of the Unit ed States on global affairs; human rights; and militarization. He is also a foun ding member of the artist group Ugat-Lahi. Ugat-Lahi is credited for the effigie s presented and then burned during rallies led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN). Far from accusations that Cruz is only trying to generate controversy to be noti ced, Cruz sheepishly admits that Poleteismo is actually the product of house clean ing. Apparently, the man is a pack-rat and for the last two decades he has been collecting various scraps of paper and whatnot with the general intention of som e day putting them to use. We were cleaning the house and we discovered all this, he said, pointing to the wa lls with their thousands of colorful, conflicting images like those from a serie s of MTV videos from various genres looped together. He and partner, artist and singer Raquel de Loyala usually spend two to three days pasting and putting toge ther the massive collage that has sent religious groups seething. Close Your Eyes and Think Cruz frequently tries to shy away from questions that seek his own opinion on hi s work, but when pressed, he answers even if reluctantly. This is how I see the Filipino way of life colorful, varied, full of conflicting beliefs and values. Cant you just see these same images pasted on the walls of ho uses in the urban poor communities? And Filipino society, its racked with econom ic and political turmoil, and then theres religion which frequently involves itse lf in the entire conglomeration of issues and developments, he said. Sure enough, if one does as Cruz advises close your eyes after seeing the images , breathe and think the walls begin to speak about the Filipino condition. Theres the carton poster on the alphabet with A standing for Apple when apples are no t grown in the Philippines and J is for Jeep and not for jeepney. Theres the calendar where former First Lady Imelda Marcos smiles beatifically at her beholder. Then there are the liquor bottles that used to contain expensive alcohol that co uld very well symbolize the corruption of the country because of the profligacy of its so-called leaders in government. I dont like telling people what I mean when I paint something or what I want to sa y when I include an image in an installation. I would much rather that people ta lk about the work and think about theyve seen, Cruz said. If only people would first think instead of being judgmental. In defense of reli gion and religious beliefs, some quarters have already taken to maliciously attr ibuting Cruz controversial work to a twisted sexuality. Freedom of Expression The artist community has thrown its support behind Cruz and the CPP, saying that Poleteismo protected by the provision of freedom of expression of the 1987 Consti

tution. The Artists and cultural workers from the Concerned Artists of the Philippines ( CAP) in a statement said that they support the CCP, specially its Visual Arts un it headed by Karen Flores, and the organizers of KULO for upholding freedom of e xpression. Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, National Artist for Literature and current Chairperson o f CAP said that Article 3 section 4 of the countrys constitution states that no la w shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the pres s, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances. The bishops and the lay leaders who are pressuring the CCP to close the show are within their right to speak against KULO, and they are free to admonish the Cath olic faithful regarding what they find objectionable in Mideos artwork. We believ e, however, that this demand to suppress the show smacks of the religious fascis m of the friars of Rizals time and certainly unacceptable in the 21st century, he said. Lumbera went on to say that CAP welcomes the CCPs call for a dialogue on the exhi bit, believing that criticism of artists work is part of the artistic process and contributes to the growth of the artist. We caution critics, however, not to resort to intimidation and defamation that t hreaten the artists freedom of expression, said CAP Secretary-General Prof. Neil D oloricon of the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. We call on artists and cultural workers from the different fields of art and huma nities to stand steadfast against the curtailment of the Constitutional guarante e of free artistic expression that founding CAP Chairperson Lino Brocka persuade d the Convention to insert in the 1987 Constitution. When he advocated support f or works that will hurtthat will not make you restFor the times are really bad, and given times like this, it is a crime to rest.