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| online-ako.blogspot.com Mideo Cruz and his art piece that infuriated the anger of many Filipinos in the Philippines. |
When I was young my Art teacher told me that I was supposed to join an art contest. Since it was nearing Christmas season, the theme of the art contest in school was Nativity. With limited crayons and just one piece of Oslo paper, I drew a simple shot of the Nativity, with little baby Jesus in the center, Mary and Joseph, the three kings, animals and angels staring at him. The baby Jesus was attractively smiling in the middle, sure to catch your attention. I won the contest and received a grand prize of Php300.
Years later, we heard about the controversial art exhibit last June 17. KULO is a compilation of 32 artists that is meant to be CCP's commemorative tribute to Jose Rizal's 150th death anniversary. According to the Manila Paper "CCP Closes 'Kulo' Art Exhibit Described as 'Blasphemous' " last August 9, 2011 (click here to read full article), the art pieces are based on the artists' proposals and background qualifications. The exhibit was curated by J. Pacena II while the CCP Visual Arts Division was headed by Karen Ocampo-Flores.
