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Glenn Perez and his work 'Aurum Harvest' (oil on canvas, 2026). Handout

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<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17849798593332-Composite straight 21.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Glenn Perez and his work &#x27;Aurum Harvest&#x27; (oil on canvas, 2026). Handout"/>Glenn Perez and his work &#x27;Aurum Harvest&#x27; (oil on canvas, 2026). Handout</div>The journey from engineering to fine art is rarely seamless, but Glenn Perez makes it appear so. In his latest solo exhibition, &quot;C/AURUMSCAPE,&quot; now on view at Podium Socials and presented by Art Lounge Manila, the artist bridges the precision of engineering with the expressive freedom of abstraction, producing works that shimmer with both discipline and emotion.Perez is an unlikely abstract painter. A self-taught artist with degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Batangas State University and an MBA from Ateneo de Manila University, he built his professional career in engineering, quality assurance, and corporate management. Rather than suppressing his artistic instincts, that background has become the foundation of his visual language. His paintings reveal what might be called a structural intelligence, where measured composition and spontaneous gesture exist in quiet balance.The exhibition&#x27;s title unites two of Perez&#x27;s earlier series, &quot;Aurumscape,&quot; centered on the radiance of gold, and &quot;Caurum,&quot; inspired by the kinetic energy of copper. Together they express the artist&#x27;s central idea: &quot;the suspended moment where energy becomes calm.&quot; Gold, bronze, copper, and textured metallic surfaces are not merely decorative effects but metaphors for resilience, endurance, and quiet strength.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784979663350Glenn Perez_Arc of the Phoenix_36 x 48_Mixed media on canvas_2026.jpg" style="width:650px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&#x27;Arc of the Phoenix&#x27; (mixed media on canvas, 2026). Handout"/>&#x27;Arc of the Phoenix&#x27; (mixed media on canvas, 2026). Handout</div>Although best known for abstraction, Perez also demonstrates a deft command of representation. &quot;Aurum Harvest&quot; (2026) transforms an arrangement of fruit into a luminous meditation on light and form, placing the still life against a richly distressed gilded background. Classical realism merges naturally with textured impasto and metallic tones, dissolving the traditional divide between representation and abstraction.His abstract works likewise remain rooted in recognizable landscapes. Titles such as &quot;Paisaje Mineral&quot; and &quot;Aurum Terrain&quot; guide viewers toward geological associations rather than pure non-objectivity. In “Paisaje Mineral,” sculpted ridges of slate-gray and silvery impasto evoke mountain ranges and tectonic formations. “Oxide Divide” explores fractured earth through turquoise glazes and rugged textures, while “Arc of the Phoenix” contrasts a dark void with incandescent layers of gold, copper, and earth pigments, suggesting elemental fire and renewal.Underlying these works is what Perez describes as a philosophy of &quot;metaphorical materiality.&quot; The transformation of metal — its capacity to be forged, weathered, oxidized, and polished — becomes an analogue for the human condition. Every textured layer serves a deliberate compositional purpose, reflecting the precision of an engineer&#x27;s eye while preserving the emotional resonance of painting.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784979740831Glenn Perez_Aurum Terrain_36 x 36_Mixed media on canvas_2026.jpg" style="width:650px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&#x27;Aurum Terrain&#x27; (mixed media on canvas, 2026). Handout"/>&#x27;Aurum Terrain&#x27; (mixed media on canvas, 2026). Handout</div>Perez&#x27;s achievements extend beyond the studio. A multi-awarded artist and president of the Philippine Pastel Artists Inc., he has earned recognition in both national and international competitions. Yet &quot;C/AURUMSCAPE&quot; suggests that his greatest accomplishment lies in demonstrating that technical discipline and artistic intuition need not exist in opposition. Instead, they can enrich one another, producing works that are at once carefully constructed and deeply lyrical.Running until July 28, 2026 at Podium Socials in The Podium, Mandaluyong City, &quot;C/AURUMSCAPE&quot; offers more than an exhibition of paintings. It is a meditation on transformation — of metal into metaphor, of engineering into art, and of disciplined craftsmanship into luminous imagination.

In "C/AURUMSCAPE," engineer-artist Glenn Perez transforms gold, copper, and textured metallic surfaces into luminous abstractions that reconcile structural precision with artistic imagination.

In "C/AURUMSCAPE," engineer-artist Glenn Perez transforms gold, copper, and textured metallic surfaces into luminous abstractions that reconcile structural precision with artistic imagination.

Engineering meets art in Glenn Perez's latest solo exhibit

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Engineering meets art in Glenn Perez's latest solo exhibit

Lito B. Zulueta

Published July 25, 2026 07:48 PM PHT

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Glenn Perez

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