Roslisham Ismail
Roslisham Ismail (aka Ise) (Malaysia, b. 1972-2019), was a leading figure in Malaysian contemporary art, not only as an artist with a rigorous and expansive practice, but also as an advocate for other artists and critical discourse in Malaysia. He sculpted situations and environments into participatory events that expanded into opportunities for dialogue and interaction, particularly between cultures.
His long-running home and artist space, Parking Project, invited visiting artists and curators to stay with him and get to know the local art community, building connections between Malaysian artists and their peers around the world. He was a co-founder of Sentap!, a significant journal that provided a platform for critical writing on Malaysian contemporary art, recognized internationally by its inclusion in Documenta 12. His conceptual work centered around his personal experience of urban communities and was largely informed by how expressions of popular culture serve to represent alternative histories of place and culture. Whatever final form it took, Ise’s work was always participatory, embedded in conversation, friendship and the experiences of simply living life amongst a multitude of communities internationally.
Ise was granted an Asian Cultural Council (ACC) Fellowship in 2015 to travel to the United States for six months. He …
Roslisham Ismail (aka Ise) (Malaysia, b. 1972-2019), was a leading figure in Malaysian contemporary art, not only as an artist with a rigorous and expansive practice, but also as an advocate for other artists and critical discourse in Malaysia. He sculpted situations and environments into participatory events that expanded into opportunities for dialogue and interaction, particularly between cultures.
His long-running home and artist space, Parking Project, invited visiting artists and curators to stay with him and get to know the local art community, building connections between Malaysian artists and their peers around the world. He was a co-founder of Sentap!, a significant journal that provided a platform for critical writing on Malaysian contemporary art, recognized internationally by its inclusion in Documenta 12. His conceptual work centered around his personal experience of urban communities and was largely informed by how expressions of popular culture serve to represent alternative histories of place and culture. Whatever final form it took, Ise’s work was always participatory, embedded in conversation, friendship and the experiences of simply living life amongst a multitude of communities internationally.
Ise was granted an Asian Cultural Council (ACC) Fellowship in 2015 to travel to the United States for six months. He spent two months at Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn. “I came to New York on a mission to experience the most it has to offer,” he wrote, “My work is not regarded as art in Malaysia so NYC was my last stab at being an artist. I received amazing feedback and now I have more confidence. ACC has boosted my future.”
Courtesy of the Asian Cultural Council
