Monument to the poet José Rizal, of the Philippines

Bronze, 4m. Manila (Philippines), 2011

2011 is the 150th anniversary of the great Filipino poet, Jose Rizal. It has also been 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Philippines.
The sculptor Gregory Pototsky, at the request of Senator Manny Villar, created an unusual image of the poet and donated it, from Russia to the Philippines. The composition shows the last moments of poet’s life before his execution: it is a flight into immortality. Flight is an expression of freedom, it is what the poet gave his life for, fighting for the independence of the Philippines from Spain. The monument to Jose Risal is erected on the university campus, so students will have the example of the poet, the philosopher, the writer, who gave his life for his country.
The opening ceremony of the monument was held on June 25th 2011. There was fifteen hundred invited guests: ambassadors, governors, mayors, representatives of creative and political elite. The opening was made by Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Nicholas Kudashev.