Art is subjective and always open for interpretation, which is why art expands one’s mind. Interpreting and appreciating art leads to a million possibilities and answers. Indeed, interpretation and innovation are the beauty of art.
Art is also something that one can expand and take to the next level, something that JEFRË does with the elements of his modern art pieces and infrastructure designs.
JEFRË is a Filipino-American artist who established a studio in 2008. His style specializes in environmental art and couture landscapes with site-specific artworks in Abu Dhabi, London, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Manila.
He has a vast range of art projects, including community design, public art, sculpture, eco-installations, parks and plazas, and many more. His approach to art always includes questioning as it builds context in how one gets to know the community.
Before his success in what he does, JEFRË, whose full name is Jefre Figueras Manuel, initially studied at the Art Institute of Chicago then received a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from Ohio State University. His parents are from Ilocos Sur and Laguna provinces.
In an interview on SoJanelleTV, he shared that he thought he was experiencing a minor health problem one time, but it eventually turned out that he had a heart attack. “Having that word said in my head, at the age of 30 was kind of like, ‘Why is this happening to me?’” he said. He then underwent triple bypass surgery that led him to realize that he should pursue his passion: creating art and joining design competitions.
Eventually, he participated in various international design competitions and received commissions in Washington, DC, Abu Dhabi, Australia, London, Rome, Miami, Philadelphia, Portland, Bering Strait, and Arlington.
He was also featured in various publications, including Elle, Dwelle, and House and Garden.
His talent also led him to win awards, such as being one of the Faces of Design in Inside Out Architecture Magazine in 2007. He was also named one of the “Faces of Design for 2007” by Florida Inside Out architecture magazine for his environmental art and couture landscapes in the same year.
He also gained recognition as Marlborough Gallery in New York City selected him as an “Up and Coming International Public Artist.” He was also chosen to be the sixth member of Lexus Corporation’s ECO Hybrid Living National Design Team to design environmentally conscious carbon-neutral environments.
In 2019, the artist launched his signature series, XLS. “XLS, Xtra Large Small is a retrospective of my Xtra Large Work made Small. Small in scale Xtra Large in Life,” said JEFRË on the description of his sculpture.
In 2021, he held a public art exhibition in Orlando that was warmly supported by the Asian American community.
In the same year, his unique and modern giant installations in Manila became the talk of the town, namely the modern structure of TIME in SM Megamall and BAYANI and PAG-ASA in Double Dragon Building. These installations aim to instill a message of hope and value to the Filipino people.
In January 2022, he also held his pop-up exhibition in the L.A Artbox was extended until March 20.
With everything he has experienced, JEFRË constantly evolves in modern design. He seeks new and innovative approaches to incorporating technology, materials, and textures into creating more daring and exploring discrete art pieces and techniques on both small and large scales. Whether it would be a sculpture or an architectural landscape design, the beauty of art continues to be daring, and its exploration is endless.
See more of JEFRË’s works on his website and his Instagram page.
Source: https://jefre.org/, https://www.instagram.com/jefre_artist/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIcVTXtvFns
