One with Concerned Citizens

By Jonathan Shih

This letter of mine, was published in the Philippine Star’s Arts and Culture Section dated 15 November 1999. It was in pro-reaction to a letter written by a group of concerned citizens (1 November 1999), wherein they’re reacting to the ‘Grand Prize Winning’ painting of a certain Alfredo Aquilizan in the Phillip Morris Philippine Art Awards 1999. Their concern is that Aquilizan’s entry was a direct copy of a poster of the Movie The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey (the poster depicts Jim Carrey’s face rendered in Photo mosaic). Which was just recently shown in Movie Theaters in the same year.

To the group of concerned citizens, I commend you all on your courage in reacting against the recently concluded Phillip Morris ‘Art’ Awards. I think it’s about time someone took a stand and tell the truth about the misinformation and the misleading of this so called prestigious ’Art Competition’. If you can call it ’Art’.

Taking the lead of the concerned individuals, this is not the first time that a non-original entry had passed the eye of the ’Art judges’. Not only in the Art Awards but other local Art Competitions as well. In 1995, one work among the 50 finalists exhibited at the Glorietta, Ayala Center, was a direct copy of an abstract painting by the American painter Sean Scully. And in 1994, one of the finalist in the Metrobank Painting Competition, in which the work depicts the crucified Christ in bird’s eye view was a direct copy from a Surrealist painting by the Spanish painter Salvador Dali. I’m appalled and my complaint is not to the artists only, but to the so called ‘art judges’ themselves. If they  are well informed about the current trends in art and artists. And if they read about Art of the Great Painters and Masters of Art, would they have allowed such non original paintings to be included in the finalist, let alone Grand Prize winners?

These so called ’art judges’ and ’prominent artists’ of our country should be the ones in the know and should be well-informed about these things. But, alas, they are the ones who are presently misinforming and misleading the people, artists included, about these things. What a disheartening and sad fact. I want to ask these ’prominent individuals’, are Art Competitions the ultimate stimulus for an artist, struggling or otherwise, to paint and express himself? How do you assess and judge a painting, the individual painting itself or through the persona of the artist who created it. Is it any wonder, why the state of art in our nation, instead of progressing and moving forward with the international art scene, is since time immemorial not moving forward at all? If you think I am wrong about this, how about researching and reading current magazines on the subject, if that is, you ever read at all.