Did an old university museum display fake relics from Indonesia?
Election lawyer Emil Marañon III on the X app expressed his dismay over the alleged inauthentic Indonesian pieces in a past exhibit mounted at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Museum of Arts and Sciences.
In partnership with the Artiste Museum in Quezon City, UST Museum staged an exhibit entitled “Nusantara – Indonesian Objets D’Art” from September 5 to 25.
The items showcased in the exhibit came from the collection of Artiste Museum’s president and owner Anthony “Tonet” Gedang.
Marañon, who is also a known collector of Philippine artifacts, claimed that the exhibit was “littered with fake Indonesian pieces masquerading as authentic.”
“Very disappointing for the UST Museum and the Indonesian Embassy to stage this exhibition littered with fake Indonesian pieces masquerading as authentic,” the lawyer said.
“This is a huge disservice to the country which has one of the most beautiful indigenous material cultures in the world,” he added.
Very disappointing for the UST Museum and the Indonesian Embassy for staging this exhibition littered with fake Indonesian pieces masquerading as authentic.
This is a huge disservice to the country which has one of the most beautiful indigenous material culture in the world. pic.twitter.com/qp2ZLVvXLb
— Emil (@13thFool) October 18, 2023
Marañon further expressed that the UST Museum should have fact-checked the people behind the exhibit and the materials.
“For a respected institution like the UST, it is expected for them to at least countercheck the people they work with and the materials they exhibit. And how hard is it for the embassy to even check with their arts and culture institutions to verify and authenticate these objects?” he said.
The lawyer perceived the event as shameful and “damaging” to the reputation of the institutions involved.
“Hindi lang nakakahiya, but damaging to the reputations of the institutions involved in this public stunt. I hope they all learn from this,” Marañon said.
When an X user asked him to clarify the items that are fake, the lawyer replied by identifying the ones that he deemed as “bad reproductions.
“The correct question is which one is real as most appear to be bad reproductions. Visibly, the Leti, Nias, Dayak (Bahau/Modang), Hampatong and even Batak pieces as exhibited are questionable,” Marañon said.
Back in September, UST promoted the exhibit to be “abundant with local symbolism” representing Indonesia’s ethnic groups.
“Abundant with local symbolism, each art form (such as textiles, ornaments, carvings, and day-to-day items) from Indonesia represents the diversity of Indonesia’s more than 300 ethnic groups,” the university said on its website.
Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Philippines His Excellency Agus Widjojo was among the foreign dignitaries who attended the launch day at the university campus.
Guests were welcomed by UST Secretary-General Fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P., EHL and UST Museum Director Fr. Isidro C. Abaño, O.P., SThL-MA.
As of writing, there are no statements from the UST Museum and the Artiste Museum in response to Marañon’s claims.
