Abdulmari Asia Imao, was born on January 14 1936 @

Siasi, Sulu, Commonwealth of the Philippines. He died on December 14, 2014 @ the age of 78

In 2006, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) awarded Dr. Abdulmari
Asia Imao the National Artist Award for sculpture, the first Muslim to be given the country’s
highest recognition for artistic and cultural achievement and contribution since its creation in
1972. This happened only after the intervention of Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which,
according to political analysts, was a strategy to gain favor from the Muslims who comprise
majority of Southern Philippines. As to his skills in sculpture, no doubt Imao is a master. But
he is also highly trained in painting. He graduated Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture in 1959 at
the University of the Philippines, and three years after, he earned his Master of Fine Arts in
Sculpture at the University of Kansas. But the 73-year-old artist admits that his decision to focus
on his native culture came only after he has travelled the United States, Columbia and Europe,
seeing with his own eyes the works of Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse and Dali, among others.
Returning to the country in 1963, he determined to master Moro culture and arts, observing and
learning from the Maranaos and T’bolis; at the same time, teaching them about modern bronze
casting techniques.
Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been popularized and
instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other peoples as original Filipino
creations

Abdulmari Asia Imao passed away last Dec. 16 2014. He was 78 . He was buried at the Libingan
ng mga Bayani

first and only Muslim national artist,