Senate committee to subpoena 'Kulo' artist

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate committee conducting an inquiry into the "blasphemous" art exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) said it will subpoena artist Mideo Cruz if he fails to attend today's hearing.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who earlier expressed disgust over Cruz's art pieces, asked that the artist be issued a subpoena for not appearing in the hearing this morning.

An employee of the Senate committee leading the inquiry said they sent invitations to Cruz through email and phone calls. Cruz has replied and confirmed receipt of the invitation, but did not confirm if he will attend the hearing.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Education, Arts and Culture committee, said the committee will be "compelled to issue a subpoena" against Cruz if he fails to show up at the end of the hearing, which was scheduled to last until noon today.

In a television interview, Sen. Gringo Honasan defended today's hearing on the art exhibit, saying “Everything is in aid of legislation.”

“We have to start with the law. This would have to be resolved by the law of the land,” Honasan said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.

The senator said the inquiry will focus on laws on arts and culture.

He denied that the Senate is riding with the issue, adding that the art exhibit falls under the jurisdiction of Congress, a regulatory arm of the government, since it was displayed in CCP, which is a government institution and funded by the people's tax.

"Had this been exhibited in a private art gallery, it would not have generated as much controversy, but since the CCP is a government institution then the regulatory arm of the government, through Congress, has to intervene," Honasan said.

He meanwhile assured that the Senate does not intend to "prematurely pass judgment" on the CCP officials who allowed the exhibit, particularly the owner of the art pieces "Poleteismo", Mideo Cruz.

He however said charges may be filed "if evidence warrants."

He also urged Cruz to attend the hearings to explain his art and defend himself from criticisms by various groups, including the Catholic Church and pro-life organizations.

Among Cruz's pieces was a wall collage made up of posters of local celebrities, NBA stars, Jesus Christ, Barack Obama, Coca-Cola and the Teletubbies, characters from a children’s TV show. Unfurled condoms, wooden rosaries and wooden penises adorn the wall.

A figure of Christ the King painted with red make-up depicting Mickey Mouse and a poster of Jesus Christ with a wooden penis glued to his face were among the fixtures that irritated many Catholics who trooped to the venue.

Following the CCP Board's order to shut down the exhibit on August 9, the center's Visual Arts director Karen Ocampo-Flores resigned.

Estrada and other senators have called on the whole CCP board to resign.

The committee failed to invite Flores to the hearing since he has already resigned. During the hearing Angara said that the committee should invite Flores to attend the next hearing.

CCP head mulled earlier closure

Cruz's art pieces were included in the "Kulo" exhibit, which is a collaboration of works of 32 artists that opened on June 17 and was supposed to run up to August 21.

Raul Sunico, president of the CCP, told senators during the hearing that he had mulled the closure of the exhibit as early as July 14 as he was initially "shocked" and "offended" by Mideo's pieces.

“As of July 14, I recommended the closing of the exhibit; but there were suggestions that it will be brought first to the artistic community, so we postponed its closure,” he said.

He said that it was CCP Chair Emily Abrera who insisted to continue the exhibit, pending consultations from the artistic community. He however pointed out that the controversy opened their eyes to adopt policy clearly defining artistic freedom and its limits.

For her part, Abrera pointed out that they tried their best to weigh the consequences of their decision in pushing through with the exhibit vis-a-vis the role of the CCP in promoting art.

She also admitted that the CCP president recommended the closure of the exhibit, but she insisted that the idea was “not the best step to take at that time”.

“The artist should have the chance to explain," she noted, while citing that the comments of those who witnessed the early run of the exhibit were “stimulating and interesting”.

She said that the management committee had agreed to put a disclaimer statement, but did not approve of proposals to shut down the controversial art display.

Society desecrated Jesus' image

Abrera admitted that she was also shocked by the art pieces on Mideo's collection, but said that after a thorough examination of the art pieces she came to appreciate it and realize what the artist was trying to say.

Contrary to the art's critic's opinion, she said that the art pieces show “how society treats things we idolize.”

“It's always up to the viewer to interact with the art. I've always thought the artistic process is a very intimate thing between the viewer and the artist," she said.

But the Catholic community considered Cruz's work offensive to their religion.

During the hearing, Rev. Jose Palma, vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said they were "hurt" on the desecration of Jesus Christ.

The CBCP official pointed that they condemn only the "Poleteismo" collection and not the entire "Kulo" art display. He also noted that Cruz's work was not included in the past Ateneo exhibits, as earlier reported.

"Exercise of human freedom for the sake of art is subject to moral criteria," he said, while nothing that "no human freedom is absolute."

"For us, the picture of Jesus is not just any picture; He is the picture of God -- someone we adore, someone we glorify."