Manila Vice Mayor and actor Yul Servo Nieto is holding his fourth solo exhibition, Directions IV, at the Art District inside the historic Calvo Building on Escolta Avenue in Binondo, Manila, from 17 February to 16 March.

Proceeds of the exhibit, curated by John Lucas Nieto and designed by Lois Nieto, are going to be donated fully to charitable institutions. More than 30 works are on show.

His previous exhibitions are Directions I at the Manila Hotel’s Art Gallery, Manila; Directions II at Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Rizal; and Directions III at Bulwagang Rodriguez of the Manila City Hall.

Nieto’s works are characterized by his use of discarded materials and found objects to create maps that show Manila’s urban spread and its continuing development.

Cultural worker and artist Ros Mendiola describes Nieto’s works as embodying “the postmodern philosophy by deconstructing and reassembling familiar visual language to provoke ideas and discussions on deeper appreciation of the rich trajectory of human creativity.”

She further said, “The amalgamation of shapes, lines and colors on his metal artworks create a representational reality that has so much to say about urban dynamism, on bird’s eye view.”

When talking about his artistic endeavors, Nieto often states that “the key to the future lies in tracing the past.” Through his works, he bridges the past with the present and depicts Manila in both its romanticized and realistic states.

These works also raises people’s awareness on ecological imbalance and degradation and reflect Nieto’s stance on the conservation of the environment.