Works of National Artists Abdulmari Imao, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz to be NFTs Soon on Artifract

Works of National Artists Abdulmari Imao, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz to be NFTs Soon on Artifract

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  • Through the partnership signed last year by Artifract and the heirs of Abdulmari Imao and Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, the artworks of the National Artists will soon be accessible on Artifract.io as NFTs. 
  • According to Imao’s son, Toym, the soon-to-launch NFTs will feature the Sarimanok motif of the older Imao which is re-imagined into the modern Imao Sarimanok and Sarifish composition in both sculpture and painting.
  • The younger Imao also highlighted that their family’s commitment is to promote their father’s legacy through graphic arts, product design, theater, and now, digital works through limited NFT:

The late national artists Abdulmari Imao Sr. and Federico Aguilar Alcuaz’s masterpieces will soon be digitized and made accessible on Artifract.io, a platform that democratizes fine arts ownership by fractionalizing them as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The initiative was part of the partnership that was inked last year at Kondwi in Makati City and was attended by Artifract.io executives and leaders and stakeholders in the web3 industry.

Artifract is a platform that claims to make art more accessible and available for collectors, enthusiasts, and even ordinary individuals who are interested in fine art. With this innovation, art institutes that hold exclusive collections can showcase these by making their NFT versions available for purchase in tiles. 

Imao (1936–2014) was awarded the title of National Artist for Visual Arts in 2006. He is a Sulu native who is known for being a sculptor, painter, photographer, ceramist, documentary filmmaker, cultural researcher, writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and culture. Alcuaz (1921-2011), on the other hand, was named National Artist for Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture, and Mixed Media in 2009.

Imao’s son, Abdulmari de Leon Imao, Jr., who is known in the industry as Toym Imao, is also an award-winning multimedia artist. According to Toym, he is excited about the collaboration because he looks forward to transforming his late father’s artworks into NFTs.

“Dr. Imao’s body of works has always trailblazed in the history of Philippine visual arts with regards to promoting Mindanao art and culture… The ‘Sarimanok’ motif is an acknowledged folk art of the Maranaos. It has been re-imagined into the modern Imao ‘Sarimanok’ and ‘Sarifish’ compositions of Dr. Imao in both sculpture and painting,” he stated.

The younger Imao also highlighted their family’s commitment to promoting their father’s legacy through graphic arts, product design, theater, and now, digital works through limited NFT:

“We firmly believe that bringing Dr. Imao’s works across the digital divide makes his works accessible and establishes a digital footprint regarding the continued awareness of his contribution to Philippine Art through digital and tech-based platforms.”

Last year, Toym also finished and launched his father’s unfinished works with a blue-chip NFT launchpad, Scarletbox. Their work was part of the collection 2 Legends x 2 Generation—the younger, second-generation counterparts of the national artists took part in the collaboration. The other national artist in the collection was Jose Joya, an abstract artist and National Artist of the Philippines awardee during his time; his work was finished by his grandnephew, Andre Baldovino, who practices abstract expressionism.

The late National Artist and cartoonist Larry Alcala has a profile picture (PFP) NFT collection, also on Scarletbox.

This article is published on BitPinas: Works of National Artists Abdulmari Imao, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz to be NFTs Soon on Artifract

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