And now, Meryll the visual artist

"My friends and I are just as gross and funny as everyone else," Meryll Soriano said when asked what her first photo exhibit, XXX, currently on display at the Bare Wall Gallery, Greenhills, revealed of her personality.

"I am not a teenager anymore," the 23-year-old actress elaborated. "I don’t see anything wrong if my first exhibit tackles sex for a subject."

Meryll and her co-exhibitors, graphic designer Ryan Vergara and fashion stylist Pia Garrovillo, proudly say their exhibit’s edge lies in its unpretentious, witty take on sex, a subject often too underscored by other artists.

She adds that the exhibit was mounted not to highlight the sexual act, or the feelings that go with it, but to celebrate life with humor. "We want our exhibit to be funny, sexy at the same time. Hindi naman namin ginawa ‘to para magpaka-artist."

XXX is divided into two sets of six photographs each: Everwhere We Shoot, which features the works of Ryan and Pia, and Meryll’s Planet Umeboshi. "Unlike other exhibits where the artists tend to overexplain their works, ours is a ‘what you see is what you get’ type," state the three young artists.

At the formal opening last Dec. 30, Meryll, radiant in a black outfit, beamed with excitement when family and friends came to show their support. Papa Willie Revillame, Mama BecBec Soriano, stepmom Liz Revillame, directors Wenn Deramas and Andoy Ranay, Angelika dela Cruz, Eula Valdez joined her as she celebrated her debut as a lensman.

"Upon seeing photographs I shot using an instamatic camera, my stepdad noticed that I have an eye for the art," Meryll says, adding that her love for taking pictures started some nine years ago. "At 14, my stepdad bought my very first professional SLR camera," she relates.

Meryll clarifies, however, that because of her tight schedule, she barely had time to develop her craft as a photographer until recently. Asked about the difference between being on the camera and working behind it, she answers, "I love doing both, but I feel more in control when I take photographs."

Aside from photography, Meryll is also into painting. "I have always been interested in the arts. Even when I was still in school, I would read about it," she reveals. "Art, for me, is a means of expressing myself. I find my passion and fulfillment here."

Having been influenced, personally and professionally, by dad Willie and aunt Maricel Soriano, Meryll admits she is also unsure how she developed an interest on alternative cinema. "I think I am just more radical and bolder than they are. With art films, I express myself more and even better."

Reacting to her victory as Best Actress in last year’s CineMalaya Film Festival for her part in the digital film Roomboy, Meryll says, "I was deeply flattered, especially because that recognition came from people like me."

Aside from the CineMalaya nod, Meryll is also very thankful for the good projects that came her way last year, including her stints in two of ABS-CBN’s top-rated fantaseryes which highlighted her acting capabilities.

"I will always be grateful to direk Wenn Deramas," Meryll states. "He got me for my first big break as a serious young actress in Marina and he got me again to be a part of Kampanerang Kuba, where I developed my comic abilities."

"(But) doing mainstream projects puts food on the table and money in the pocket, while acting on art films fills my soul," she relates, explaining how these fields give her a sense of balance in her career.

Acknowledged as one of the country’s finest young actresses and visual artists, Meryll feels so lucky to enjoy the best of what these disciplines offer.

"I don’t want to be so famous that I couldn’t do the things I want," she reveals. "I’m happy with the way my career is going now. I couldn’t ask for more."