Photographed by Mar Rosales.
Photographed by Mar Rosales.
Visual and environmental artist Jefre Manuel reflects on the method behind his craft and his recent collaboration with IQOS
“I was approached by the IQOS group earlier in the year with the challenge of understanding what curiosity is, so what I thought about were the ideas of power and pleasure,” visual artist Jefre Manuel says. Titled the “Curious Icons,” he later expresses how the two concepts are “symbiotic” with each other. “Power is about this idea of how much energy you give, which is how much you get in return, whereas pleasure is the idea of being calm, to remember not to take things too seriously.”
Before he could stage solo exhibits in the Metropolitan Museum of Manila or create the towering sculptures that span across the world, Manuel recalls that the roots of his creativity started with him being an assistant to his mother’s garden nursery and flower shop. “It was my first time being hands-on and actually making and arranging objects intentionally for an experience,” Manuel recalls. “That was sort of my first introduction to the creative class.”
As he would later pursue his craft in environmental and sculptural art, Manuel explains how the ethos of his work underscores reflection as a form of dialogue. “A lot of my public artwork is based on understanding the communities and culture of the city, and creating formations that represent them and not about me.”
He would then go on to detail how this understanding came through his “BAKS” Series in 2020, where concepts such as time, love, passion, and faith were turned into box-headed figures that he shares embody the elements of the human experience.
While recalling the process that went into creating the “Curious Icons” figures, Manuel explains that shifting from the series’ cuboid headpieces to be the brand’s logo instead was an opportunity to view his concept from a different perspective. “It’s almost like putting an eye on my box-head sculptures. This idea that you can transport yourself through the figure and understand what IQOS means to you.”
Manuel, however, understates that his work, be it collaborative or personal, aims to elicit the same messaging of creating connections through his own understanding of the world around him. “It’s not really about making art, that’s about me, it’s making art that people can engage in and have a conversation. To me, art is a democracy that allows people to voice their opinions through form, paint, and color.”
“As creators, our job is to shape the world we live around.
So if you give this energy of gifting and sharing your knowledge
with the world, that’s another way to have conviction
and intent for why you’re doing what you do”
With the launch of his first collaboration with IQOS, which he recently celebrated last September 26, Manuel continues to hope that his creations serve as inspiration for others to discover how they can tell their stories with the desire to connect others through emotion and curiosity.
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by LIAM BITENG. Photographs by MAR ROSALES. Video by CHAPTERS. Art Direction by LARA CASTAÑEDA. Styling by NASH AUGUST, assisted by JADRIEL LLORCA. Hair and Makeup by NIX INSTITUTE OF BEAUTY. Photographer’s assistant EJ BONAGUA. Produced by ESAB RAYMUNDO and BELLA MARISTELA. Account manager ICE LEE. Shot on location at INCANTA CAVE BAR AND RESTAURARNT.
