This piece is accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Toym Imao confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

Abdulmari Imao’s indigenous works in diverse mediums and styles that range from sculptures to paintings and images are immense contributions to Philippine Muslim art and culture. This revered National Artist is also a prolific scholar who extensively delved into Muslim and lumad motifs. Fusing Islamic design and symbols and ornamental motifs with Cubism techniques, he popularized the indigenous geometric flowing design (ukkil), the serpent (naga), and the mythical bird with fish on its beak or claws, the sarimanok. It was in a 1969 interview when Abdulmari Imao disclosed to Nick Joaquin that he was working on the sarimanok style, improving and revitalizing it to develop a distinctively Muslim design. In Maranao lore, the sarimanok is the avian harbinger of good fortune. Imao utilized its bright hues as he produced vividly colored sarimanok paintings like this specific work. This is a great example of his clean, Modernist masterpieces and how his experiences and sensibilities as a Filipino Muslim influenced his art. He explored the Tausug and Moro aesthetic and cultivated it, incorporating elements common among the Lumad of Mindanao.