UST College of Architecture faculty member Jeiven Perez launched his first solo exhibition, depicting on canvas the many hats he wears in “Stories of a Hobbyist,” on July 1 at the RiseSpace Art Gallery, Makati.
Perez’s first solo exhibit featured over 50 art works using diverse media, fueled by his love for hobbies ranging from drawing, cars and motorcycles, and even toy collectibles. Represented in his works is the nostalgia he deeply feels for his hometown and childhood.
“My hobbies led me to so many things. For once, drawing led me to architecture, then drawing led me to my hobbies, and cars, and motorcycles led me to putting up a shop. [My] hobbies are a big part of my life…so all the art work you see there, is based on my life,” Perez said.
“Everything you see is nostalgia, because at 48, everything that fuels me right now is my memories of my childhood,” Perez told the Varsitarian.
Perez uses acrylic paint, watercolor, and graphite.
His piece titled “Sa Plaza,” a 30×40-in. acrylic on canvas painting, shows a thriving community gathered in the square of his hometown, Taal, Batangas, brought to life by the smiles and interactions of the townspeople.
“You can see how my hobbies affected everything I did, even my love for churches and taking photographs,” Perez said.
In his piece titled “Busking Osaka,” a 30×40-in. acrylic on canvas painting, Perez portrays a scene in Dotonbori, a district in Osaka, Japan, capturing the crowded and energetic atmosphere of the district.
The painting depicts the area’s diverse, bustling atmosphere, with buskers, locals, and tourists taking in the sights, alongside recognizable landmarks such as the famous “Glico Running Man” sign.
Among the pieces on display, the stack of untitled artworks in the middle of the room was the piece that took him the longest to complete.
The installation originally consisted of 365 drawings of different themes, animated characters, and mundane scenes that show different people.
“I made one drawing every day for one year back in 2023,” Perez said. “A specific piece that I like? That’s hard for me, because I really like everything I do, and if you see my pieces, they’re all smiling. The people are smiling because I smile when I do them.”
For Perez, the solo exhibition marks the beginning of his exploration of artistic boundaries, portraying different phases of his life—a retrospective of his time as an architect, as a mechanic, and now as a faculty member at UST. Lianne Therese G. Espiritu
