Toym Leon Imao is a multimedia artist who excels in both sculpture and painting, and assistant professor at the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines. Spanning an art career of more than 30 years, his works can be found in major cities in the Philippines, Vietnam, the USA and Europe. He is a sculptor and painter in both classical and contemporary styles, a writer, set/production designer and filmmaker. He first trained in the arts under Philippine National Artists for the Visual Arts Napoleon V. Abueva and Abdulmari Asia Imao (his father). His formal training came from the University of the Philippines (B.S. Architecture, Masters in Fine Arts) and Maryland Institute College of Arts (M.A. Sculpture) under a Fulbright Scholarship. He studied film and apprenticed under National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Marilou Diaz-Abaya. He credits his mentor National Artist for Literature Alejandro R. Roces for his passion for Philippine history and culture.

 

Toym started his career as an architectural designer and public art sculptor, designing and building monuments and shrines. His degree in Architecture gives him the design perspectives of a trained builder. Certainly, his architectural skills are indispensable as he builds more than life-sized statues and public art installations. His public artworks are always accomplished with masterful craftsmanship and display architectonic strength and historical depth. He takes delight in discovering little known facts and incorporating them in his artworks.