Extensive Bio

A life, artistic… political… cultural…

Ang mahaba at maikling buhay pampulitika at pansining ni
Papo, isang kaibigan, kapatid at kasamang tunay!

Danilo "Papo" de Asis (born December 16, 1949 and died January 8, 2005)
Son of Nicholas de Asis and Manuela Hubbero of Dumangas, Iloilo, Philippines

Papo was an engineering student in his home province of Iloilo. He believed that engineering will improve his family's life but his artistic inclination made him sneak aboard a ship going to Manila and he landed among the artists in Mabini Street. In those times, days in the city were in turmoil. The heat of student activism made him think and he answered to the call of the times.

1973-1974
Papo was one of the first artists in Mabini Street organized when Sining Bayan (People’s Art) was reestablished during the early part of Martial Law. Sining Bayan is a group of patriotic artists formed before Martial Law was declared in 1972. The group was connected to the group based in Los Banos, Southern Tagalog (ST). The group held regular meetings and discussions on the political, economic and cultural situation.

1975-1977
He was one of the founders of Kaisahan (Unity), a group of nationalist artists from schools and out-of-school youth. They were able to exhibit social realist artworks in different art galleries. Papo held intensive studies in social movements and political and economic theories. He and one of the artists tried to revive the NPAA or Nagkakaisang Progresibong Artists-Arkitekto (United Progressive Artists-Architects) another nationalist group of artists before Martial Law. Papo continued to work and organize among the Mabini artists.

1978-1979
He helped through his skills in visual arts in the District 4 area of the Manila-Rizal region. He was contacted by an artist comrade from Tondo who also had a special task in printing press. He became an artist staff of Liberation, the official newsletter of the National Democratic Front (NDF). He also helped in the formation of an artists mass organization.

1981-1989
He led the formation of Mabini artists in several Universities in Manila. He was instrumental in the formation of alliance of artists from out of school and fine arts students from UST, UP, UE, FEATI, Mabini Group and individual artists. Through this alliance a group of muralists, streamers and banners were maintained.

1990
Papo immigrated to the US.

1992
Together with about 50 members of Teatro ng Tanan, a community-based theatre group in San Francisco, created 14 giant puppets and paraded along Market Street for the Philippine Independence Day Parade.

1996-1997
One of the founding members of People's Artists, a Los Angeles-based organization of progressive and nationalist artists. Papo led the People’s Artists in painting murals depicting significant events in Philippine history and exhibited in several venues in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

1998
Papo led the People’s Artists L.A. in collaborating with the Philippine Forum of New York City in creating nine giant puppets or “higantes” to march along Madison Avenue in New York City. More than 80 members of the community joined together in a three-week production of the giant puppets at the Brecht Forum.

1999 (March)
Papo was a speaker at the Filipino Inter-Collegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) Spring Conference (“Where Do We Go From Here?”) at Harvard University, Cambridge Massachusetts. He also led and facilitated a mural-making workshop with the FIND delegates. The completed mural was unfurled at the closing ceremonies of the weekend-long conference.

1999 (April to June)
Papo was one of the lead artists and organizers for “Art of Resistance”, a ten-week art exhibition in New York City organized by the Philippine Forum. This was held at the Puffin Room in SoHo, New York City. He was instrumental in bringing together 43 social realist painters, sculptors and multimedia artists from the Philippines and the United States.

1999-2004
In Southern California, Papo was instrumental in strengthening many mass organizations by working with workers, youth and students, cultural workers and artists.

He has led many art workshops and contributed numerous murals and banners for demonstrations, conferences and political forums. His art became well-known amongst both artists and social justice activists throughout the U.S.

He was the founder of Habi Ng Kalinangan or Habi Arts in Los Angeles, a collective of multimedia artists whose mission is to promote artistic and political empowerment for progressive social change. Papo's works can be viewed in Habi Art's website at www.habi-arts.org.

2004
As part of Habi Arts, Papo was one of the organizers of two film showings held in Los Angeles, the "Echoes of Bullets," about the current human rights violations in the Philippines; and "The Enemy,” about the unequal and dominant relationship of the United States with the Philippines.

2005
Papo had a stroke on the early morning of January 8, 2005. His body was cremated on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 at Rosehills. Papo is survived by his fiancée, son and daughters.