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Filipinos cry sacrilege over art with Christ, phallic symbols

Non-profit organization Pro-Life Philippines has threatened to file charges against the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) for permitting to show “Kulo (A Gathering of Artists of the UST),” a “sacrilegious and blasphemous” art exhibit which features the unconventional use of religious images. The group sent letters both to the CCP and the artists demanding the display’s removal. “By Thursday afternoon, we will file a case if they do not stop the exhibit and if they do not also make amends because stopping is not enough. The damage has been done,” said Pro-Life president Eric Manalang.

Mideo Cruz, the artist responsible for the installation — intended to be a commentary on icon worship — has been branded a “demon” and bombarded with death threats and hate mail since his work featured in an exhibit in Manila that began June 17.

Cruz, a 37-year-old visual and performance artist who has exhibited in such international art centres as New York, Paris and Tokyo, said he had wanted to provoke a reaction but was surprised by the violence of the response.

“You can’t force people. But I just hope that when we look at something, the process doesn’t stop at the surface.” Cruz said his installation, “Poleteismo” or “Polytheism,” is about the worship of relics and how idolatry evolves through history and modern culture.

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