This artwork will NOT be censored.
This is an artwork by Leo Abaya.
It is part of his one-man show next month at Utterly, an art gallery in Singapore.
The exhibit is part of the Philippine Art Trek, now on its second year.
The Philippine Art Trek is sponsored by the Philippine Embassy in cooperation with art galleries in Singapore.
Images of the artworks will be printed in a catalogue to be presented to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she goes to Singapore in mid-November for the APEC Summit.
The Philippine Embassy in Singapore has asked Utterly, the gallery, not to show this particular work.
No reason was given for the request.
It is assumed that the Embassy does not approve of the use of the image of the President’s face in the artwork.
It is against the gallery’s policy to censor the works of its featured artists. Yes, a gallery in Singapore.
The gallery stands by its artists.
Leo Abaya’s show will be moved to November 19.
It will not be part of the Embassy event.
Perhaps the kind reader will help us figure out what is so objectionable about this artwork.
Our definition of “objectionable” is “official ineptitude in the face of a catastrophe exacerbated by corruption and incompetence”.
If there are other meanings, do enlighten us.
* * * * *
Update, 23.10
Official word from the gallery in Singapore: “The facts were that the Consul General, after finally viewing the image,caught on that it was PGMA, and hence called to say that ALTHOUGH the Philippines is more democratic, and unlike Singapore in that they don’t censor work, that is they support freedom of speech and it would be no problem to present the work OUTSIDE of Art Trek, the Embassy here could not be seen to be presenting and supporting the image.
“They asked if we could pull the work, and I said we could not: we would rather withdraw from Art Trek, and we had actually done so for a few hours. But we came to a compromise when we realized that we could substitute The Chinoy Connection as the Art Trek show instead.â€
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
October 15th, 2009 at 01:45
Could it be that the president’s image looks like a puddle of liquid shit?
October 15th, 2009 at 02:12
illegal possession of an ugly mole?
October 15th, 2009 at 02:12
illegal possession of a scary mole?
October 15th, 2009 at 08:19
“It is against the gallery’s policy to censor the works of its featured artists.” Where is this gallery? Singapore? Singapore?? LOL.
October 15th, 2009 at 09:31
maybe it’s the shit like things on her face.
October 15th, 2009 at 13:54
It’s the color of the water. Not dirty enough.
(Not that it’s not a fine art but a mere pop art?)
No, it’s the water.
(Not the nudity and the lack of originality?)
Really, had he made it brown all the way, the water I mean…)
(Not that the work is mostly derivative and therefore lacks originality?)
Shut!!! It’s the water, fix the water. Singapore has water issues ayt?
(But it’s the Philippine Embassy that objected to its showing…)
Then the Philippine government cares for Singapore’s water issues.
(How very severely disjointed you are…)
So is that “art work.”
(Are you perhaps pro Arroyo?)
No, pro art. Maybe.
(Mhm come to think of it, one of the rules of visual design is to help the onlooker see by arranging the objects clockwise, counter clock wise, etc.)
Which…again, brings us to the point–what’s wrong with that picture is the water. The onlooker is clearly forced to look at the water. Had he made it accurately dirty, we are not going to have this discussion.
October 15th, 2009 at 14:35
This, to me, is objectionable (go to number 9): http://hottestheadsofstate.wordpress.com/list/
Chaka!
October 15th, 2009 at 16:43
It’s the title. “Asleep by the Pasig. What do we do?”
October 15th, 2009 at 19:43
Is that GMA? Di nga obvious e.