As kids on a field trip at museums, we were taught one rule: Don't touch the artwork. Unless, of course, the display explicitly states that we can. Fingerprints leave oil and dirt on porous surfaces such as the textile on a canvas, which may degrade the piece of art. So it's definitely not a good idea to use a work of art as a phone stand.
In a now-viral video posted by Rodney James De Guzman, two visitors at the National Museum of the Philippines' Fine Arts Building were seen resting a cell phone on one of the displays, which turns out to be one of Impy Pilapil's revered sculptures. The phone is in selfie mode while the two were doing their moves, as if creating content for Tiktok.
The video, which was posted on Facebook on February 15, has earned almost 900,000 views as of writing.
"It's an act of disrespect para sa artist na gumawa at sa museum," De Guzman tells SPOT.ph in an exchange.
National Museum of the Philippines' Visitor Guidelines
In an updated list of visitor guidelines released on November 2, 2022, the National Museum reminds guests of museum decorum.
- Please keep your voices low while inside the galleries.
- Do not touch the paintings, sculptures, and other objects on display.
- Avoid leaning on glass showcases and pedestals.
- Running and playing in hallways and sitting and lying on floors are not allowed.
Impy Pilapil's Exhibit at the National Museum of the Philippines
Circa, a 16-piece exhibition by Impy Pilapil, opened at the National Museum of the Philippines in 2019. It features the sculptor's three-dimensional works, which include an assortment of pieces done between 1994 and 2017.
The artwork shown in the viral video, in particular, is from her collection Earth Cycles (2019). It features a variety of whole and unfragmented stones, mostly made from Romblon marble, that were collected over the years. Stone, for Pilapil, is a significant medium in her art.
"Stone as a medium compels both the artist and the viewer to invoke a primordial sense of curiosity. Whether we look [at] a smooth stone or one that is weathered by nature, we are looking at the evolution of the Earth. I hold on to that idea fully knowing that the final sculptures are but one stage in a multilayered process involving logistics and composition— notwithstanding how nature has shaped this material with incomparable detail over eons," she said in a 2019 interview with Inquirer.
Pilapil, a multi-awarded sculptor, started having solo exhibitions and group shows in the '70s. Internationally, her works have been on display in Rome, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. She is one of the recipients of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' 13 Artists Awards in 1975.
Video embedded with permission from De Guzman for SPOT.ph.
SPOT.ph has reached out to the National Museum of the Philippines regarding this incident.
This story originally appeared on Spot.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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