MERCEDES, Joielley Nichole C.

0848 GART
ACTIVITY 1: Critique on Isagani Cruz’s Poleteismo is art, not Art

“POLETEISMO”
My stand on Isagani Cruz’s Article on “Poleteismo “ by Mideo Cruz

To start off, I should first clearly say that I am a Christian. I believe in one God, and no
other gods shall take His place. Be that as it may, I don’t oppose polytheism. As a person who
grew up in a Christian household, I’ve always been taught to respect others, and to accept the
fact that we are not all Christians. But as much as we value evangelization and bringing people
closer to God, we cannot impose our religions on people who clearly have different beliefs than
us. With all these being said, I do not agree with Isagani Cruz’s claims on the matter at hand.

Before I delve into what I mean, let us first take a look at the exhibit in question:

(source: https://www.bulatlat.com/2011/08/05/artist-mideo-cruz-wants-to-provoke-critical-
thought-gets-death-threats-instead/ and http://www.deansterf.com/2011/09/mideo-cruzs-
poleteismo-art-or-not.html?m=1)

Now that we’ve seen a clear picture of Mideo Cruz’s work, we can now compare it with
the objective definition of art. If you look it up on Google, you will be flooded with thousands of
definitions, all of which boils down to art being something which is done out of deliberation for
the purpose of either expressing ones emotions and ideas or for the sake of beauty or even
both. Yes! Art is deliberated, which means that it was consciously and purposely made. And
beauty is very subjective. We all have different opinions and perspectives on what beauty is,
and for Mideo, I guess for him that was beautiful.

I would like to reiterate that statement, art is deliberated. Mideo thought about the
exhibit, and put a lot of consideration into what he’s going to include in it. It isn’t just an exhibit of
mere photographs and artifacts or objects. This exhibit, though it may not seem like it, was
carefully conceptualized. And it was made to reflect and express Mideo’s thoughts about the
world and the society we live in. This was his expression of his idea on Filipino religion and
idolatry. He even explained his artwork:
 “This is how I see the Filipino way of life — colorful, varied, full of conflicting beliefs and
values. Can’t you just see these same images pasted on the walls of houses in the
urban poor communities? And Filipino society, its racked with economic and political
turmoil, and then there’s religion which frequently involves itself in the entire
conglomeration of issues and developments,” (Ina Alleco R. Silverio, Bulatlat.com, Aug
9,2011)

Upon reading his explanation, does the exhibit not seem different from how Isagani Cruz
claims it is? This exhibit makes us realize the truth and the reality in the Philippines, and even in
the world. For me, It shows the social discord which exist between nations, religions, and
beliefs. I understood the exhibit a little and thought that maybe what Mideo wanted to show us
that there is no unity in the Philippines. But, when I saw the artwork, the combination of media,
the colors, I realized how beautifully diverse and connected we all are. That’s why I think that
Mideo Cruz’s “Poleteismo” is an Art that should be shared.