The only child in a crypto-art exhibition
At a crypto art show this month, the works of a 10-year-old boy with autism are shown alongside those of pioneering crypto artists from the Philippines and Singapore. Luis Buenaventura, a well-known illustrator and crypto entrepreneur, Raymond Lauchengco, a photographer, singer, and visual artist, AJ Dimarucot, a graphic designer and illustrator, and Jopet Arias, a painter and co-founder of CryptoartPh, are all on the list of artists. Sevi Agregado is the only child on the list. Four of Sevi's paintings will be shown at Galeria Paloma's "1/1" (read: "one of one") exhibition, which will be held at Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati from September 30 to October 4, and online on NFT art platform Foundation from September 23. The event is held at the same time as Crypto Art Week Asia, which is the largest crypto art event in the region.
His NFTs have been featured in galleries in Singapore and Chicago
Sevi's development as an artist has been nothing short of amazing. Since he started painting five years ago, his work has been shown in a number of shows both in person and online. Last year, the boy showed his work online for the first time at Art Fair Philippines. His NFTs were shown in galleries in Singapore and Chicago for Crypto Art Week Asia 2021, and they were also shown in Times Square in New York for NFT.NYC in June of last year. The Straits Times Singapore and Vogue Singapore also took notice of his skills. Sevi is the first known crypto artist in the country, and he is also the youngest. He has sold a number of his physical paintings, commissioned works, and NFTs on the metaverse. "These virtual events have been great for Sevi's growth because we never imagined that his art would be seen all over the world," says April, Sevi's mother, who still can't believe how far her son has come. To think that she and her husband, Johncy, didn't know what their son's future held eight years ago.
Sevi was diagnosed with autism
When Sevi was two years old, he was diagnosed with autism. He was the second of four children. "Doctor, why isn't Sevi talking much yet?" April remembers asking the pediatrician for her family. During that checkup, the doctor looked for possible signs of developmental delay and suggested that they talk to a developmental pediatrician for more information. The Agregados did what the doctor told them to do, and their first tests showed that Sevi has a speech problem. But after a thorough evaluation, they found that the boy's problem was more than just a delay in development. "The doctor put a box of tissues next to me, so I knew the news wasn't good," April says.
Sevi has been diagnosed with both autism and global developmental delay, which means that he is behind in many areas of development (a developmental disorder affecting physical, social, and language skills). "At first, I felt a lot of that guilt," she says. "They were sad." But when the Agregados found out about their son's condition, they didn't waste any time getting him the help he needed. Sevi started going to therapy when he was two years old, and when he was five, he started taking art classes at the therapy center. "We also signed him up for gymnastics and football, and his teachers were very pleased with how he did. But Sevi only wanted to keep doing art," says April.
He loves art because "it's fun"
Sevi tells us in our interview that he enjoys art because "it's fun" and "you can make anything." "In my opinion, a person with neurodevelopmental disabilities can do art without worrying about how it will turn out. Unlike speech or any other school subject, there is an expected result or answer. You can do anything you want with art if you think about it. "It's how you show who you are," says April.
Sevi's first piece of artwork was a picture of a tree in a field. He was very interested in Angry Birds at the time, so he insisted on putting a red angry bird on the painting. "Okay, that's cute," April says with a smile. But as the weeks went by, Johncy and April were pleased to see how their son's works had changed. They thought, "Wow, this has a lot of potential." Usually, Sevi would paint whatever interested him at the time, whether it was a scene from a TV show, a game on his gadget, or a subject that interested him at school. "At one point, he was really into a Netflix show called 'Grizzy and the Lemings,' and he wanted to paint a bear," April says.
Sevi's creative process begins with something simple, like an animal. April will look for sources, and Sevi will come up with his own ideas. April notices, "He's been making a lot of colorful pieces lately, and they usually have a dark background." Some examples are the piece with the picture of a lion that was on a billboard in Times Square and the works that will be shown at the Galeria Paloma event this month.
Sevi says that he likes to paint "everything and anything," including sea creatures and things that don't move. During our interview, he tells us that he wants to paint a zebra. Acrylic paint on canvas is his main medium.
He does art therapy
Every week, the young artist goes to a gallery in Kapitolyo, Pasig, for two hours of art therapy. He can usually finish a piece in one sitting. But sometimes he makes complicated pieces that take him about two or three sessions to finish. April says, "If it's a subject he really likes or is excited about, he can do it in an hour and a half or less because he's very focused." Sevi's teachers let him do his own thing and help him or remind him when he needs it. They would tell him not to make the canvas too wet or use too much paint, for example.
Sevi's teachers are glad that his parents got him involved in the arts when he was young. At the moment, he still uses reference materials, but they think that soon he will be able to use his own ideas. People say that his creative growth has been amazing. But the fact that Sevi has been making beautiful art is just a bonus for April. She says that Sevi's ability to express himself and grow as a person because of art is the biggest benefit. "He's being guided by someone who gives him instructions, so he has to understand the instructions and put them on the canvas. If he has questions or wants more information, he needs to be able to tell the teacher. So painting has helped him grow in other ways than just as an artist," she says. "We really feel that Sevi's communication skills and ability to focus have improved because of art. He can stay still for two hours, which is hard for regular people like us. Art really propelled his growth."
April says that Sevi has also benefited a lot from having a younger sibling. Because he has GDD, he's two years behind in his development, so he and his seven-year-old sister, Lexi, practically grew up and developed their skills and abilities at the same time. With Sevi, the Agregados have had a very colorful 10 years. April says it's been hard for her to help a child with special needs. "Even if Sevi didn't have autism, it would be hard to be a parent on Twitter," she says. "You have to share your child's story and let strangers into your life." "And as the curator and the voice of the kid, it's a lot of responsibility, as well as a lot of nervousness and anxiety on our part, because you're in a space with so many established artists."
They didn't have to spend the money their son earned
She says that at first, they wanted to take a step back because Sevi's career as an artist has a financial side. "Some people say it's weird for parents to share and sell the work of their children," she says. But April says that they only want what's best for their child. "Thank goodness, we didn't have to spend any of the money we made from selling his work. But we're happy to know that if he needs it, there's a fund we can use to help him. Because he'll have to go to therapy for a long time."
April says that the most important thing they learned from this trip was to listen to their doctor and be open to how art or any other activity could help their child. "If I hadn't listened to the pediatrician's advice to get more help, we wouldn't have known what was wrong with Sevi right away, and we wouldn't have been able to get her the help she needed," she says. "I've heard of parents who are so in denial that they put off sending their child to therapy. Then, by the time they start, the child is older and more set in his ways, making it harder to help him. Sayang ang time." April also tells parents that they should do different things with their kids so that they can find out who they are and reach their full potential. Sevi's advice to kids who want to become artists like him is pretty straightforward: "Just do it!"
Jean Dubreil