Andronico Del Rosario
It’s hard to see where the line between exploitation and expression exists within arts—and Kapuso artist Solenn Heusaff witnessed it while promoting her solo exhibit.
When Solenn posted this photo on her Instagram account, she was [probably] expecting people to either set a date to visit her solo exhibit or at least share a critique of her painting.
What she probably didn’t expect were comments about how her artwork was equivalent to “poverty porn”.
On her Instagram post, Heusaff shared that her solo exhibit KUNDIMAN expressed her “love, appreciation, and hope for the country and its people”. It went along with a photo of one of the paintings intended for exhibition.
The exhibit is a three-year journey for Solenn, which combines her love for painting with a recent discovery: rugs.
Her solo exhibit, set to open at the Modeka Art Gallery along Chino Roces Avenue in Makati City, running from March 25 to April 24.
The painting displayed in what looks to be a slum area in Metro Manila is a way to link her art to the vision she had for her exhibit.
Netizens would blast Solenn for “exploiting the poor”, calling Solenn’s piece “poverty porn.”
— Tachikoo Purple ⁷ (@PurpleTachikoo) March 3, 2021
— Tachikoo Purple ⁷ (@PurpleTachikoo) March 3, 2021
Reactions would mostly fill the comments section of her Instagram post, but those who spent some time on microblogging site Twitter would also chime in.
Wait, sabi wala daw mali sa picture kasi for art exhibit daw. I want to be educated, how is it not wrong? First glance pa lang kasi poverty porn siya agad eh. Am I missing something?
— Nina (@theninaellaine) March 3, 2021
Solenn, stop the poverty porn challenge.
This is not the first time. pic.twitter.com/HRgFzMru9m
— KIM (@kimbefinosa) March 3, 2021
Lol I used to think that people who said that Solenn was using poverty porn were overreacting as I thought it was just one exhibit/concept. And now she comes out with a new one with the poor as the backdrop sksksksksks. #EatTheRich po pic.twitter.com/CM6jJhvLUp
— Pop culture junkie (@obssessedwithtv) March 3, 2021
Reactions ranged from calling out Solenn for being “privileged” to the Kapuso artist “capitalizing” on the less fortunate to promote her work.
sick of poverty porn art masquerading as social realism putting glamor and desolation beside each other is tasteless and insulting but what the hell I guess when that's your whole art grift you really wouldn't care at all
— Tintin (@grosshuman) March 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/tanginarizaki/status/1367007600026341376
poverty is not aesthetic. while the rug is fabulous, your backdrop is tone deaf. there’s a difference between art and capitalizing on that aesthetic. it is called poverty porn. :)))
try again next time. pic.twitter.com/OahgjhvZSp
— kels (@kelseylgh) March 3, 2021
One Netizen, however, asked a question that others have yet to answer: where do we draw the line between expression and capitalization?
Nagiging poverty porn ang dating kapag yung layunin at konsepto ay hinahaluan ng business o marketing. Ang pangit ba tignan? Well yan naman kasi ang totoong muka ng bansa natin ngayon di lang naman si Solenn ang gumagamit ng ganitong konsepto
— CALYPSO (@__ChachiLim) March 3, 2021
Kung ang bawat taga ukit at pintor sa pinas ay tatanggalan natin ng kalayaang ipahayag ang sarili nilang paraan ng sining para mo na rin sinabing takpan na lang natin ang mga mata nila habang gumuguhit.
— CALYPSO (@__ChachiLim) March 3, 2021
Pano mo isasalamin ang tunay na buhay, estado at sitwasyon ng mga tao sa bansa kung lilimitahan mo lang ang utak mo sa pwede mong ipinta at ipakita?
— CALYPSO (@__ChachiLim) March 3, 2021
Solenn would react to those critical of her promotional material, telling them to reserve their judgment until they have actually seen the exhibit in person.
What exactly is poverty porn?
According to this 2016 article from CNN Health, “poverty porn is used by nonprofits to create empathy and inspire contributions.”
It consists of images—usually photos—of the less privileged, showing them in their most vulnerable moments. It’s also associated with “theft pictures”, meaning the photos were taken without the consent of the subjects.
The term poverty porn is often associated with photos taken in Africa’s least developed communities.
It is seen as exploitative, both for the subject and for those who will be reeled in by nonprofit organizations looking for contributions.
For the media industry, it is seen as a way to “generate sympathy, increase newspaper circulation and TV ratings, or even to gain fame” based on this 2013 opinion piece from Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Ma. Ceres P. Doyo.
Doyo, however, asked the same question some of us might have in our minds today: where do we draw the line on expression before it becomes exploitation?
But on Thursday morning, March 4, Heussaff apologized following criticism over a photo she released to promote an upcoming art exhibit.
She said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about the comments you guys left on the photo I posted. I know it sparked some debate and there were both good and bad takes on it. While I appreciate the encouragement some shared, I also want to apologize to those I have hurt. Wanted to shoot it in a typical street, those we drive by everyday. Streets full of life, since all my paintings are about the people we see. Not the rich or the poor but people for who they are. Humanity. The choice of painting was to show the environmental side. The abundance and balance of what life was, but also growth and hope. Though yes, art is subjective, and your thoughts made me more sensitive to different perspectives on my choice of setting ( it wasnt a terrible marketing team, it was me, no one else to blame) and this really was a learning experience for me.
“It wasn’t my intention to hurt or offend anyone. It was my hope that I could lend my voice and my art to show the reality of Filipinos. This is the heart and inspiration of all my paintings, both old and new. I did not want to romanticize the poverty of the everyday Pinoy or the resiliency that we naturally have. I really hoped to honor our people by being truthful about the kind of life a lot of Filipinos live today and to show that Filipinos deserve better.
“Thank you for letting this be an eye-opener for me as well. And to those that I have offended, I am sorry.”
