THE Filipino artist who created the "Female Oblation" sculpture denied on Sunday, June 25, that his work was copied from a Dutch artist.
The "Uplift" sculpture (also called the Female Oblation) of artist Ferdinand Cacnio was displayed at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus.
Cacnio said on his Facebook account on Friday, June 23, that the sculpture is his contribution to UP.
"It took 10 years before the big one became a reality. My gratitude to the One above. Thanks to all who supported this project," he said.
Cacnio's post went viral on social media over the weekend, gathering more than 2,000 shares and over 12,000 reactions.
On Saturday, a netizen posted a photo of Cacnio's "Uplift" sculpture and Dutch artist Elisabet Stienstra's "The Virgins of Apeldoorn."
The photo, which shows similarities of the two artworks, sparked negative comments on social media.
Cacnio broke his silence on Sunday and clarified that he had never seen nor heard of Stienstra's work.
"Hindi ko siya kilala. We've never been to the Netherlands. I was not inspired by her, I did not model my work after hers. I am not guilty of plagiarizing or copying her work, 'Virgins of Apeldoorn'," he said.
Cacnio's wife, Bing, also released a statement on Facebook, asking those who accused Ferdinand to review his artworks that have developed over the years.
"While there is a similarity in that they both tackled the subject of a floating female figure, note that there have been many others who have dealt with the same subject. Ferdinand Cacnio is a civil engineer who has always been fascinated with and worked with cantilevered structures. And this is very evident in how he constructed Uplift," she said.
Here are some of the reactions from netizens on social media: