Abdulmari imao autobiography definition

The month of January 2023 marks Abdulmari Asia Imao’s 87^th birth anniversary. He remains the first and only Muslim Filipino National Artist in Sculptor, 2006.

Drawing inspiration from the indigenous arts of his Sulu homeland, Imao incorporated traditional motifs of okkir into his own works—especially the sarimanok, naga, and pako rabong or fern motifs.

Ukkil/okkir, with its vine-leaf-tendril motif, is a major art form among the Muslims of southern Philippines, with the root word ukit, meaning “to carve.” With Hindu and Chinese influences that are especially seen in the naga design, a stylized form of the mythical dragon or serpent, and accompanied with leaf and ferns in spirals.

The art of southern Philippines is rooted in its indigenous traditions that have existed long before the spread of Islam, and expressed in its material culture such as woodcarving, architecture, boat building, grave markers, mat-making, and other func