"When faith is itself subversive"
(Or "Notes after seeing Panday Sining's Lenten artworks
and Kalbaryo ng Maralita")
Usually shown during protest marches during Lent, these artworks shown below feature religious figures, usually blended with political messages trying to make an appeal to the people about the recent events under the present Duterte regime. Most of which bear red flags if not revolutionary sentiment, and others which captures the heart of a religious especially those questioning the state of human rights, social justice, and the need for religious participation in socio-civic affairs.
However, there are some people who rather ridicule, if not describing those artworks as blasphemous as it features personages like Christ and the Blessed Virgin.
What more that the attack dogs of the present order are acting like centurions, of Duterte as if a fusion of Herod and Pilate, and his clique, apologists like Pharisees pointing fingers to the common Filipino if not washing hands as if assuming to be absolved from their actions.
Perhaps as time goes by and still seeing various forms of social injustices continue to prevail, then expect a militant faith that can "move mountains" with actions in various forms. The Bible that served as the basis of their preachings as well as their actions, including those of artworks abounds with hope as one writeup says that drives those who sought inconveniences in the spirit of change- for from its passages bespeaks of rights, of justice. Its gospels attests to Christ’s advocacy for the oppressed, his standing up to them against an Empire and its vassals that brought him into his passion. It affirms the morality of waging a struggle that includes taking arms and drinking the bitter cup of sacrifices. It also bared the many prophets and various righteous personages who took up the cause of the exploited basic sectors of society and spread the Good News about people’s liberation.
The Kingdom of peace, justice, equality and freedom could never be actualized so long as an order perceived as "unjust", "rotten", and "repressive" continues to aggravate tensions; and only its dismantlement is one important step towards the realization of this Kingdom.
Source: Panday Sining, Liberation
(Or "Notes after seeing Panday Sining's Lenten artworks
and Kalbaryo ng Maralita")
At first, it seems that religious imagery has again becoming an object of protest. Driven by faith and the struggle, artists utilised religious symbolism in the most creative — and at times — most questionable ways as a form of struggle for both national and social liberation, especially in a time of national repression.
Usually shown during protest marches during Lent, these artworks shown below feature religious figures, usually blended with political messages trying to make an appeal to the people about the recent events under the present Duterte regime. Most of which bear red flags if not revolutionary sentiment, and others which captures the heart of a religious especially those questioning the state of human rights, social justice, and the need for religious participation in socio-civic affairs.
However, there are some people who rather ridicule, if not describing those artworks as blasphemous as it features personages like Christ and the Blessed Virgin.
For merging religious iconography and political sentiment has always been a controversial mixture. Often considered a sign of disrespect, or used as a way to create dissent, artists tend to look at faith as well as those of reality as means to invoke hopes of justice-especially in a time of contrary. Offending indeed but the reality brought by the present order hath made a concerned religious look at faith as a tool of liberation, and by those artworks it reflected the passion of the commoner who really yearned for salvation.
Strange isn't it? In fact, even the clergymen sought the relevance of today's faith in a time of turmoil especially through their homilies invoking justice and compassion, due processes and the rule of law, some are even "hardcore" to invoke their statements to the extent that their calls be deemed "radical" or "subversive" in the eyes and ears of the people; and hence, did tolerate the merging of religious iconography and political sentiment- especially when they themselves are aware of the fact that the leaders whom supposed to be guided by law and morals turned out to be tyrants.
What more that there events which feature both religious and political iconography entwined together- such as the yearly "Kalbaryo ng Maralita" which did show the passion of the poor be like similar of the passion of the Christ. Not as exactly same but the agony seemed to be "endless" as the three basic ills of Philippine society- the cause that brought corruption, poverty, and various forms of social injustice hath brought immense hardships especially to the Filipino poor. For sure the so-called "well off" who afforded to make a heck on their protest would still cling to their stupidity that these have-nots deserved the pain and suffering, if not describing their plight as "fate".
What more that the attack dogs of the present order are acting like centurions, of Duterte as if a fusion of Herod and Pilate, and his clique, apologists like Pharisees pointing fingers to the common Filipino if not washing hands as if assuming to be absolved from their actions.
Perhaps as time goes by and still seeing various forms of social injustices continue to prevail, then expect a militant faith that can "move mountains" with actions in various forms. The Bible that served as the basis of their preachings as well as their actions, including those of artworks abounds with hope as one writeup says that drives those who sought inconveniences in the spirit of change- for from its passages bespeaks of rights, of justice. Its gospels attests to Christ’s advocacy for the oppressed, his standing up to them against an Empire and its vassals that brought him into his passion. It affirms the morality of waging a struggle that includes taking arms and drinking the bitter cup of sacrifices. It also bared the many prophets and various righteous personages who took up the cause of the exploited basic sectors of society and spread the Good News about people’s liberation.
The Kingdom of peace, justice, equality and freedom could never be actualized so long as an order perceived as "unjust", "rotten", and "repressive" continues to aggravate tensions; and only its dismantlement is one important step towards the realization of this Kingdom.
Source: Panday Sining, Liberation