Catch JEFRË's iconic works at The M this Art Fair Philippines 2023 week
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- 14 Feb 2023
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The first Filipino-American artist to have a solo museum show in the US comes home to mount an exhibition, paying homage to his roots and unveil a world-class landmark that he dedicates to his fellowmen
Filipino-American artist JEFRË comes home this February, coinciding with the nationwide celebration of the arts and the country's premier art fair. At the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (The M), he is mounting his first solo show in the Philippines titled Points of Origin. Inspired by his debut solo museum exhibition Points of Connection at the Orlando Museum of Art, Points of Origin continues (or rather retraces) JEFRË's personal story by tapping into his origins.
Besides his exhibition, JEFRË has been the subject of news because of his soon-to-be-unveiled lighting projection art installation at Robinsons Bridgetowne. Titled The Victor, this towering figure would be the tallest multimedia sculpture in the country
JEFRË shares with Tatler what drives him to victory—just like with many other Filipinos making their mark in the world, to whom he dedicates The Victor.
JEFRË is the artistic nom de plume of Jefre Figueras Manuel and his eponymous boutique design studio. He is known for his large-scale multimedia sculptures and installations to transform the urban landscape and give people an immersive experience.
Currently based in Jacksonville, Florida, JEFRË was born in Chicago, Illinois after his parents migrated in the '70s. His mother, a nurse by profession, came from a family with careers in the medical field. Meanwhile, his accountant father came from a family with professions that are into numbers like accounting and engineering.
His introduction to the arts was through his uncle who was an architect and visual artist. "He was doing lots of artwork in our basement with these indigenous, figurative forms. And he would carve these into metal," JEFRË recalls. Also influential to him was his mum's passion for arranging and taking care of flowers. "I got that taking joy in creating and making art from that side of my mother, while the pragmatic side from my father and the knack for construction."
He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago prior to receiving a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from Ohio State University. He also took graduate courses in landscape urbanism at the architecture association in London. But it was when he experienced a heart attack in 2008 did his career swerved into a new path that led him to being the globally recognised installation artist and sculptor he is today. Read More…
