I was quite surprised that former actor and now vice mayor of Manila, Yul Servo Nieto, reached out to me with a Viber message, “Hi Giselle. I did not know that you were an art enthusiast. I read your column in the Manila Bulletin about Nemi Miranda’s exhibit on the sixth floor of One Ayala till March 2. I was hoping you could visit my 'Directions IV' exhibit in the Art District in Escolta Manila."

I read about Yul’s exhibits before - Directions 1 was at the Manila Hotel's Art Gallery, Directions 2 at Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo, Rizal, and Directions 3 at Bulwagang Rodriguez in the Manila City Hall. But I was never able to view them. 

I had to see these works for myself that started last Saturday. I was surprised the former actor-turned-politician did not use traditional oil or acrylic paint on canvas. Instead, Nieto used scrap metal for his medium and automotive paint, brass, and copper. 

I asked the actor formerly known as Brutus in the 2008 movie "Ang Paglalakbay" why he used scrap metal for his canvas and automotive paint instead of oil or acrylic, “As an environmentalist, I was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). One of their goals is to raise ecological awareness and responsible consumption. So I wanted to do that, particularly in my artwork.”

Looking at his paintings, I felt like I was in an airplane about to land in Manila, and I could see the top view of the houses and streets of Manila, “That’s why it’s called 'Directions' because if you take a look at my paintings, they resemble a 3D map. And they are – my works are the maps of the different districts of Manila. It represents the complexity and beauty of everyday living in the City of Manila. But they are more than just maps. My artworks are all about the directions we will take in our lives. I have already launched Directions 1, 2, and 3. What you are looking at now is Directions 4. My goal this time is for my viewers to engage in an intellectual discourse while looking at my paintings. I aim for them to push boundaries, challenge norms, and imitate meaningful discourse. I want to provoke ideas and discussions on deeper appreciation for the rich trajectory of human creativity.”

"Directions 4" manifests Nieto's continuous progress in his artworks, particularly detailing Manila's extraordinary economic engines on culture, history, education, wealth, power, and innovation.

The proceeds of the sale of the Vice mayor’s artworks will be donated to charitable groups and his projects for the poor and marginalized in the City of Manila, “Before serving the people of Manila, I was already both a performing and a visual artist. My dad is an architect. I grew up watching my father make his designs and masterpieces. He created nothing into something. I wanted to do the same. But I wanted something more personal. That is why I turned to art. Art is an expression of our ideas, intuitions, and aspirations. It's more about sharing how we experience the world, an extension of personality. I wanted to communicate that words alone cannot be faithfully portrayed. I wanted to represent reality by amalgamating shapes, lines, and colors on my metal  artworks.” 

If you asked me how I would describe Nieto’s art in seven words, it would be urban dynamism from a bird’s eye view. "Directions IV" will be up till March 16, 2024, at the Art District in Escolta.