VM Yul Servo’s metal artwork journey

Manila Vice Mayor John Marvin "Yul Servo" Nieto shared his hobby of doing metal artwork by portraying the map of Metro Manila.

In an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE'S "Straight Talk", Nieto said that his love of art started even before his acting career.

"It all started when I wasn't an actor yet. When I was young, I loved to draw. Badly drawn art. It's like an abstract drawing. Before I took criminology, I studied architecture at the National University, but I had a hard time drawing," Nieto said.

The Vice Mayor added that his idea of doing metal artwork started during the second anniversary of Manila when he was invited to a group show.

"It was Manila's second anniversary when I was invited to join a group show. I thought of an artwork to make…I have some irons that are probably the scrap metal that was cut off from the end of the metal. I said one day I could make this metal an art. A kilo of iron is cheap, but when you buy it, it's expensive. I just looked at it and thought of something," He said.

Nieto said that he thought of making a map as a concept of his art as he reminisced about his political journey by using a map.

"When I was still an artist, councilor, and congressman, my guide was always a map. I always go to a lot of places. Well, when you look at the map, you will see the directions. Then I remembered our place, Barangay 276… they made the map. What happens is that I choose it and take it from scraps, and then I stack it like Legos. After stacking it, I will weld it. After welding, I will fix the old color, then I'm done framing. Well, when I hung it up, it was actually the last one to hang because even when the show is going on, I'm still doing it," he added.

Nieto stated that during his debut as an artist, his piece was eventually sold when someone suggested to selling at a good price.

"When I hung my art, it was the first art to be sold in the show. I said I would sell it at a low price because I'm not really an artist. Then someone suggested that I sell it at a higher price. Even when I increased the price, it still sold," Nieto said.

Nieto's journey in the world of art made him gain more momentum as he achieved nine group show exhibits and three solo exhibits. Nieto's metal artworks are displayed at the Pinto Museum, Manila Hotel, and Pangan, Rodriguez Hall.