eMagazine SentAp! ISE

Each Time We Met, We Celebrated the Harvest: In Dialogue with ruangrupa Anca Rujoiu This series of hybrid exchanges took place between You Travel in Order to Go Back October – December 2020 over Zoom and on a shared Google Drive document with Ade Darmawan, Ade Darmawan Narpati Awangga [Oomleo], Reza Afisina [Asung], Julia Sarisetiati, and Mirwan Andan, respectively. In the first Anca Rujoiu: How did you first meet Ise? When and interview which Andan joined only briefly because of in which context? connectivity issues, Ade suggested opening up this conversation to several members of ruangrupa close Ade Darmawan: I knew you were going to ask that as to Ise as they each had distinct experiences with him a first question. I’m trying to remember. I think it was and took part in different moments of his life. And in 2003. The year I remember is connected to which so it is. Read collectively, some anecdotes repeat, house ruangrupa was in. It’s a photographic memory, overlap, diverge as it happens when friends gather and from a photo of a house I remember which year was share memories. Yet each material, in its own style that. But it was 2003, and Reza [Afisina aka Asung] told adds to a nuanced perspective on Ise’s relationship me there was someone from Kuala Lumpur visiting with ruangrupa. While on multiple occasions Ise us. Reza, who was working at the radio, took Ise acknowledged ruangrupa’s direct impact on his immediately to the radio for a show. After the radio practice, he already had, in Ade’s words the “seed”: show and in the evening of the same day, a friend was an inclination to privilege process over product and a having his wedding. I went to the wedding, and there drive to operate at different levels of the art system. I met Ise. It goes like this with Ise’s first day in Jakarta: At home and elsewhere, with energy and persistence, Ise came, Reza brought him to the radio, and from social flair and humour, and a precious ability to get the radio they went to the wedding. It goes like this together people from all walks of life, Ise articulated with Ise’s first day in Jakarta: Ise came, Reza brought his own vision of what art can do and be in society. him to the radio, and from the radio they went to the sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 49

wedding.It was like that, immediately, on the first day, AR: This project that came to be called C.C.C.P. in the first hour, he became part of everything. That’s U.N.I.T.Y took the form of an exhibition. From how we are as well. documentation, the show of the five artists resembles a collective work of art, there weren’t any boundaries AR: One year later, ruangrupa invited Ise to take part between individual artworks. It seems that the artists in a one-month residency. The residency was framed translated the communal spirit of exchanges into the as an exchange between artists from Indonesia and final exhibition to the extent that it is hard to determine Ise. How did you come up with this rare format for a who did what.2 residency, and what motivated your decision to invite Ise to join this group of artists? AD: We always do that kind of residency. We don’t C.C.C.P. U.N.I.T.Y, installation, ruangrupa, July 2004. want to have a residency as others that only provide Courtesy of Indonesia Visual Art Archive. studios and then host artists and babysit them, which for us doesn’t make sense. We’re not a hotel AD: Yes, that’s true. It’s always like that in our residency. or an accommodation provider. We always do a There are overlaps and collaborations. Sometimes, residency based on a project, a subject, a theme or one artist makes their individual work, but we usually just a collaboration. We usually don’t open up for don’t put the work under their name because it’s part applications. Of course, we did receive applications of the whole conversation. We see the whole thing as from many artists. It’s a bit like curating. As a model is one. one of a residency, but in the process is a collaborative project. It’s not only those who are doing a residency, AR: I know this residency happened a long time ago, but we are also involved, because that’s what we but looking back at it now, what do you think this would like to do. We don’t want to step back like a residency did or meant for Ise? service-accommodation provider. We are artists as well, so we want to be part of the residency. We AD: I am thinking not directly about that residency, but select artists not only based on artworks, but also many things opened for him, how art can be practised, based on our affinity and so on. Most of the time, through these meetings, research, conversations, and we ask some friends, and some friends will tell other friends. That’s what happened to that project. We paired Ise with Reza, Haryono aka Tubil, Tasya P. Maulana aka TPM, and Arief Rahman aka Arman. They were from different backgrounds as well, Arman was from Serrum, for example.1 Artists research together, they have meetings with us and then slowly develop projects, and so on. We never think about what will happen at the end, it’s always based on the process. 1 Founded in 2006, Serrum is an art collective in Jakarta taking an educational approach to socio-political and urban issues. “About,” Serrum, 2017, http://serrum.id/about/. 2 “C.C.C.P Indonesia ‘Ruang Rupa project Residensi’,” Digital Archive of Indonesian Contemporary Art, http://archive.ivaa-online.org/events/ detail/768. 50 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

so on. So not falling as an artist into a production Ise, Reinaart VanHoe, was also there, he was a very model. We always do that as well. Even if we do an good friend of mine when I was at Rijksakademie. We exhibition, we usually call it a presentation. No one are a collective, but we don’t care so much about aims for a finished, full-fledged outcome. Sometimes entitlement and the like. When some friends tell us it is like a sketch; sometimes it is more than a sketch. “Can I come with you to Istanbul? It seems like a very Sometimes it’s just like a thought or an archive, nice trip. I’ve never been there,” it’s not even about something that people can read because that’s also the project. I say, let’s go, and that’s it. It’s as simple what we think, we imagine people not seeing the end as that. Then we do things together in Istanbul, the product but the process, reading it differently. I think whole process is super natural. At the same time, we it opened for Ise new thoughts for his art-making. We know other people are seeing this differently, as artists were not talking about art so much. I don’t talk about with names and a certain territory, so on. We know art with people. how people see that, that’s why we played and in a text we also put Ise’s name in. AR: What would you talk about with Ise, for instance? AR: As part of this friendship, were you sharing specific AD: Many things. Just situations, life, not art in the commonalities, for instance, an interest in popular sense of something in the process. But I remember culture that was at the root of the KAOS Project in Ise saying that when he returned to Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul?5 he would develop his work, show his work, and start something. People started calling him a “ruru branch” AD: I knew it afterwards, of course. But that’s what I or “Jakarta artist.”3 He was very ruangrupa. It’s really meant earlier, when Ise first came to Jakarta, he already interesting that he had that seed already. That’s why had that seed. By that, I mean not only an interest he also came, because he had that already in him. about a certain subject, but also a certain attitude or That’s why we even met, and then this seed continued mentality, something that he couldn’t find maybe in to grow in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur, for example. You need to survive, and then make friends as well. It is interesting that Ise never AR: Ise admitted himself in an interview, the direct thought about moving to Indonesia, for example. influence ruangrupa had on his work and self-initiated There was agency for him there, and perhaps that’s projects. In an interview, he mentioned: “ [...] When the basic similarity between us, he wanted to change I started Parkingproject I really had a big dream, like something in his surroundings. When he returned to how I see my fellow friends from Jakarta, ruangrupa. Kuala Lumpur after Jakarta he stated was inspired. Of How they operate, I think, ‘Wah, this is cool. I want to course, people are inspired all the time. But to start do something like this.’”4 things, it’s something different. People might say that they were inspired by ruangrupa, but it stops there. AD: Yes, it’s about friendship; that’s how we work as To start things in your own place, in your locality, it well. It’s easy to become friends. Now I remember needs something else. It’s more than inspiration, it’s when Ise came with us to Istanbul. We even put his more than ruangrupa. It depends on the energy and name as a participant with us. And it was not only the vision as well, and Ise had that. 3 “ruru” is an abbreviation for “ruangrupa”. 51 4 ”Turun Padang: A Roundtable Discussion and Exhibition on the Practice of Malaysian Independent Art(ist) Initiatives,” in Narratives in Malaysian Art: Infrastructures, ed. Beverly Yang, Nur Hanim Khairuddin, Rahel Joseph and Tengku Sabri Ibrahim, (Kuala Lumpur: RogueArt, 2016), 197. 5 “KAOS” stands for T-shirt in Bahasa Indonesia. Focusing on the role of T-shirts in articulating identities and ideologies in public space, the project drew parallel between local figures in Istanbul and Jakarta, respectively. “Kaos Project at the 9th Istanbul Biennial,”, ruangrupa, https://ruru. ruangrupa.org/index.php/portfolio-items/kaos-project-9th-istanbul-biennale. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

AR: If we unpack Ise’s vision, we notice that it was multi- I felt a sense of closeness because not many people layered. He developed different formats and tools to have that sort of energy. It was a very nice stay. I contribute at home, from a residency in his studio to remember we would go down and there was always publishing. With regards to sentAp!, do you recall if Ise good food. expressed interest in ruangrupa’s journal Karbon?6 AD: Yes, I think we share similar stuff, when there is Roslisham Ismai aka Ise at parkingproject, 2009. no support, you need to make things on your own. Courtesy of Magnus Azami. You have to write, make exhibitions, do projects, and so on. You have to do it all by yourself. He knew that AR: In 2009, Ise returned to Jakarta as a participant in one way is not enough. You need to activate several that edition of the Biennial that you co-curated. He points to make the whole ecosystem running. When I showed an animation on the Malay warrior Hang Tuah heard about sentAp! I was happy, surprised, but also and the NEP (New Economic Policy/Dasar Ekonomi doubtful about sustainability. To publish a journal or an Baru) installation. art publication, globally or in Southeast Asia, it’s never easy. Who’s going to read? Who’s going to write? One AD: Yes, I remember it. The animation was based on needs to ask all this kind of stuff. But of course, I am his drawings; the NEP was very political. That tension very happy that he did it. That’s also a legacy that I was very nice. I don’t know how this installation had think hopefully the young ones and others can look worked in Malaysia. I am saying this because it’s always into because sometimes this path is pretty absurd. different when you make a political statement about You do things to which no one is responding. During your country in other countries. It has a different twenty years of ruangrupa, at some points in time, we tension as well. And you need to have a certain drive felt that way as well. Not that you feel alone, but you to do that, it’s not easy. We had a conversation as well. start asking for whom are you doing things? So it was I remember how Ise was also very critical towards good to see that they started to publish sentAp!. conservatives in the art scene in Malaysia. Maybe it’s just my feeling, but every time he was in Indonesia, AR: Have you ever stayed at parkingproject during a he was doing something he couldn’t do at home. visit to Kuala Lumpur? Indonesia was an exile place for him. I think that’s why he also travelled a lot. He needed to take distance. AD: Yes, I stayed once in his iconic apartment, but I forgot which one.7 I was surprised when I entered there were a lot of posters of ruangrupa that I didn’t have myself! I don’t collect ruangrupa’s posters. That’s also maybe another similarity to some individuals in ruangrupa; we like to collect. Reza, Amen [Indra], myself, we are collectors basically, but we collect different stuff, we share a fascination for things and objects. So at that time when I saw Ise’s collection, 6 Karbon is a publication started by ruangrupa in 2002. “Karbon works to fill in the gaps in the publication of visual art reviews and cultural analysis, [..] Each edition was initially designed to reflect our organisation’s programmes, and to provide space for our research findings [..]” Ade Darmawan described the publication in a conversation with Nuraini Juliastuti. “Ruangrupa: A Conversation on Horizonal Organisation,” Afterall Journal, (June 7, 2012), retrived from, retrieved from https://www.afterall.org/publications/journal/issue.30/ruangrupa-a-conversation-on-horizontal- organisation. 7 Ise moved his studio from Shah Alam to Pandan Indah in 2004. Parkingproject operated as a studio space and residency from 2004–2016 in an apartment in Pandan Indah. Between 2016 and 2019, parkingprojects was located in a condominium in Pandan Indah. 52 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

AR: In his last body of works produced in collaboration places? The young ones now, maybe yes. The young with comic artist, Pak Him, travelling is a leitmotif. artists have that awareness that being an artist is also Ise came up with the idea to narrate his different being in conversation with other contexts. Even in my adventures or misfortunes in various parts of the generation, if you go to Jogja, artists are stuck in their world, from Jakarta to New York in the context of his studios. They didn’t go anywhere. So in that context, much-contemplated solo project in Kuala Lumpur. I Ise broke that tradition. believe it’s a compelling gesture that, despite all the rumours and criticism that his travels conceivably AR: As you said, I think it’s important and perhaps generated in the local art scene, he wanted to bring remained less visible and acknowledged that while Ise and share these experiences back at home. travelled extensively, he always returned home. AD: Yes, because he was searching things and wanted AD: I think, some artists see themselves that they don’t to bring them home. Travelling for him was not only have a home or agency in the local context. But for an artistic process, it was about finding new models many Southeast Asian artists, it’s very typical to return. or places from which he could learn. Travelling was For artists from Indonesia, or Malaysia, we always have research. a home. Even if we travel, we never forget to go back. When I went to Amsterdam, many people asked me AR: As you have been connected to Ise since the early whether I was going back or staying in Amsterdam. years of his practice, how did you see in retrospect the For me, it was a very clear answer. I think you travel in development of his practice, his mode of thinking and order to go back. working? From 2004 residency in Jakarta, what stands out for you in terms of Ise’s journey as an artist? AD: I think there were more and more social and An invitation to parkingproject Open Studio in 2017 using a study political issues in his work; the work became more drawing by Roslisham Ismail aka Ise of an0ther story presented at critical. He was not an artist that he was producing; he brought his whole life into his art. I think that’s Mori Art Museum, 2016. why he needed to travel. I remember, for many years, Courtesy of Ise parkingproject Foundation. I didn’t know, where Ise was. He would just pop out here and there. He was travelling just how artists do Our Friendship Was an Art Form it, experiencing different contexts. This might not be the tradition of a lot of artists in Southeast Asia from Narpati Awangga [Oomleo] his generation. I think only recently artists in Southeast Asia are really travelling, in the sense of doing residency, Narpati Awangga: I still remember the first time I met enriching their experience in different contexts, taking Ise. It was in 2004, when he visited Jakarta for a project different challenges. It’s a very recent phenomenon with ruangrupa. I thought, “This guy is cool, so humble, from the 90s. In my generation, for example, it was very rare. I’m very lucky that I was at Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. But my travelling and my residencies are after that. Only towards 2000, the residency as a model became global and swooped so many artists. How many Malaysian artists were doing that? How many Indonesian artists were hopping in different sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 53

and so Malaysian! We called him “the Malaysian boy.” Jakarta to buy things. In Indonesia, there is a company When Ise met ruangrupa, he was a bit suspicious: “What called rugos that produces sheets with letter fonts do these people do?” He loved what ruangrupa people that you can just scratch and make words out of it.9 were doing every day: a parties creative projects. Ise Ise bought a lot of this stuff. He was so amazed and saw this and said: “This is extraordinarily creative.” brought it to Malaysia. There is rugos also in Malaysia, It impacted him so much. Since the day he visited it, but the company is in Indonesia and Ise met the ruangrupa became his inspiration. After the residency founder. He bought thousands of rugos, created an project in 2004, three or four times he came back to artwork with it and tried to present it with ruangrupa. ruangrupa only to visit and do other stuff in Jakarta, Ise was always trying to find any opportunity, any eating, finding things. He had also visited Yogyakarta, chance to improve his artwork, to take part in artist which also had an impact on Ise. Ise had friends there, residencies everywhere. especially from Ruang Mes 56, Angki [Purbandono] and Wimo [Ambala Bayang] from Ruang Mes 56.8 When AR: What do you recollect from meeting Ise in other I visited Malaysia in 2006 and met Ise at his studio, places outside Indonesia and Malaysia? it was so crazy. The studio was so ruangrupa! All the stuff, every poster he put on the wall! I said, “Ise you NA: I have lots of memories. I had a residency at Khoj represent ruangrupa!” Ise was so active, he was doing [International Artists’ Association] in New Delhi, one lots of stuff, created a karaoke programme, etc. This year after Ise.10 Ise just passed by for only 24 hours made Ise become one of the “rudest” artists in Malaysia just because not many people in Malaysia were doing stuff like Ise did. In two years, Ise became another Ise. He was our only friend in Malaysia at the time. He became ruangrupa’s ambassador in Malaysia, but with Ise’s style. He introduced this stuff in Malaysia, but in his own way. Anca Rujoiu: What was Ise’s style? What became distinct about his way of working? NA: Ise said to me how impactful was ruangrupa for Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, study drawing for the installation him. It opened his mind to bring new dimensions into Lord of the Key at Khoj International Artists’ Association, 2003. his art. He started to create more humorous artworks, Courtesy of Ise parkingproject Foundation. make funny videos, installations or movie posters. He became great at collecting memories, a parking ticket, a bill from a restaurant; he collected every single stuff he ran into in Jakarta. He visited lots of old stores in 8 Ruang Mes 56 was established in 2002 in Yogyakarta as an artist collective dedicated to contemporary photography. See Ruang MES 56’s tenth anniversary publication: Stories of A Space / Living Expectation: Understanding Indonesian Contemporary Photography Through Ruang MES 56 Practices, ed. Agung Nugroho Widhi (Jakarta: Indo Art Now, 2015). 9 Rugos stands for dry-transfer lettering technique. 10 Taking place in 2003, this marked Ise’s first residency. At Khoj, Ise produced Lord of the Key, an installation extending into the gallery’s walls and floor that Ise likened it to a large illustration book. A whimsical representation of Ise’s journey to India, the installation comprised drawings and paper cut-outs of objects and entities, spaceships, aliens, guardians, a superhero, all at downsized and oversized proportions. This spatial story gravitated around a “magical key” which Ise associated, according to his notes about this project, with the act of “networking” as a means to go around the in (art)world. 54 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

because he had a project in another city in India. a ruangrupa!” But when it came to football, he was He appeared just like that. It was always like this: Malaysian again! I remember this because there were Ise was everywhere. I had also met him somehow many things he didn’t like about Malaysia, there were in the UK, in Australia, in the Philippines. In India, I few opportunities for artists, a lot of bureaucracy in remember one special moment. Around one month the arts, all of this. and a half, while I was in residency, a member of Khoj said to me: “Oomleo, we have lots of artists in AR: Do you remember any of Ise’s projects that drew residency at Khoj, but only two guys in this world your attention? are attached to my heart. One is you and another one is Ise. You and Ise are like my brothers.” It was NA: There is one project that it’s not done yet. It so impactful on me. started from a film-poster project Ise did in a residency in Bangladesh. Ise came with this concept to us for AR: Going back to Ise’s experience in Jakarta, what ruangrupa’s tenth anniversary. We called it the Trio exactly do you think he saw and admired in ruangrupa? Terror: it was me, Ise and Indra Ameng. The film poster is still in my laptop, but it has not been edited yet. I NA: I remember Ise doing with ruangrupa C.C.C.P. had no time or found the right circumstance to edit U.N.I.T.Y. There were other moments when Ise this video. worked with ruangrupa, he was invited to show at OK.Video [Jakarta International Video Festival], we created a project for ten years of ruangrupa. Outside these few projects in Indonesia, we were just playing, partying, having fun. We had one of Jakarta’s biggest underground clubs at that moment called Parc between 2004 and 2006. Ise knew people in Jakarta I didn’t know. I had friends in Jakarta whom Ise introduced to me! Sometimes stuff happened. Football. After a football match, when Indonesia lost against Malaysia, we got stopped by the police who asked for our IDs! And they saw Ise was from Malaysia! The police was so upset with Malaysia then! We thought we would get into trouble. AR: Such a coincidence you remember this story because this is one of the episodes that Ise recorded in his last series of works, a collaboration with the comic artist Ibrahim Hamid. NA: Yes, this story happened exactly like in Ise’s One of the posters from the Trio Terror by Narpati Awangga, drawing. I remember him telling me that the Roslisham Ismail aka Ise and Indra Ameng, 2010. Courtesy Narpati goalkeeper was from the same region as Ise, Kelantan. Ise used to say, “I’m not a Malaysian anymore, I’m Awangga. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 55

AR: How was working with Ise? NA: Always fun! But working with him was not that important! Being with him was the most important thing! With this project [Trio Terror], I don’t know what happened and remained unfinished. Maybe I was not supposed to work for a project with Ise. Maybe it was much better for us to play, network and have fun. AR: When was the last time you saw Ise? NA: It was in Bali in 2016! He surprised us. Our band Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, superfriends, photomontage and video, [Goodnight Electric] was performing there. He met Asia Triennial Manchester, 2011. one of our band members in New York who asked Ise whether he would like to join. He had the time and Courtesy of Ise parkingprojects Foundation. bought the flight ticket himself, from New York to Bali just to see us. He never cared about money. Money was not a problem for him. He would always spend money in a nice and eccentric way. Yes, that was the last time. AR: Is there anything else you want to share about Ise? Oo: One story in Manchester.11 Ise hated Manchester (Left to right) Narpati Awangga with Roslisham Ismail aka Ise and because he was a fan of Liverpool football club. We Mirwan Andan at the Cavern Club, Liverpool, 2011. Courtesy of visited Manchester and Ise was making fun of the city. Then we were in Cavern Club in Liverpool, and I Narpati Awangga. was asked by the staff to go on stage and sing one of the Beatles’ songs. Ise didn’t want to go on stage, he Reza Afisina [Asung] preferred to record me while singing. That’s one of the beautiful memories. I have lots of stories. Ise meant Each Time We Met, We Celebrated the a lot to me. But I cannot say that much about his Harvest artwork. I’m not capable of talking about his artwork. We never talked about concepts or the stories behind Anca Rujoiu: How did you first meet Ise? When and in an artwork. I think our friendship was just like an art which context? form. Reza Afisina A: Back in 2003 ruangrupa’s second home was in Tebet area.12 We moved there in 2002 from the very south. In 2003, within a couple of months, we suddenly got this person appearing in our place. We 11 In 2011, Ise and ruangrupa took part in the exhibition Institutions For The Future curated by Biljana Ciric and Chinese Art Centre as part of the Asia Triennial Manchester. See Biljana Ciric, “Artists and Institutions: Institution for the Future,” Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art 11, no. 5, (September/October 2012): https://yishu-online.com/browse-articles/?632. 12 Subdistrict in south of Jakarta developed in the 1960 to accommodate residents from the neighborhood Senayan who had been been displaced for the construction of the stadium that hosted the 1962 Asian Games. 56 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

found out that this guy, Ise, was in Bandung before to very close to us, especially the food. In the beginning, meet friends, Gustaff from Common Room.13 They said we’re not quite sure actually about what Ise was doing. to Ise: “You should visit ruangrupa in Jakarta” on the We’re just speculating. Ise explained his practice after way back. He just appeared like that, and fortunately, his studies. He said he graduated from the sculpture he found one or two friends who were hanging out at programme. He gave us a broader sense, that being ruangrupa at that time and me. said, this was the first stage in getting to know each other. For sure, the conversation succeeded as far During the day, I was working at the radio station, I was as I remember, because friends who listened to the doing programmes such as interviews with artists and so interview wanted to know more about what he on. On the same day, in the evening, I was going to the was doing. In the evening we went to the wedding, wedding ceremony of a friend, a ruangrupa colleague and at this particular wedding, we had Malay food at the time. But this guy appeared. We didn’t know what because my friend getting married was from Aceh. Ise to show him or to do, he still had one night left before recognised the food. Then we started to introduce Ise he flew back to Kuala Lumpur. This was the first time we to each of the few friends that happened to be there. were having friends from Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, He also connected to friends from Jakarta Institute for which is part of the same culture, or at least following the Arts. That was our first encounter. our conversation, we had the same knowledge on working collectively, thinking about Southeast Asia or AR: In 2004, you took part alongside Ise and three other Asia and our neighbouring country, this interested us. I artists from Jakarta in a one-month artist residency didn’t know what was going on at the time in Malaysia. at ruangrupa in Jakarta. What do you recall from that But we know for sure that we are in this room, right? residency? How did Ise respond to this format of In the Malayan united, something like that. I said to Ise: exchange? Why don’t you come with me to the radio station? Then I’m going to have you interviewed.”He asked: “What do RA: After the first time we met, we had conversations I have to do?” “Be yourself”, I replied. Afterwards, we’re through emails. When we had a new space in 2004, going to have a party, which is the wedding.” quite near to the Tebet neighbourhood at that time. I wrote to him: “Ise, would you like to have a one- AR: Do you remember anything meaningful from the month residency or longer with us at ruangrupa?” I interview? asked him whether he would like to visit Jakarta again, this time to stay longer and collaborate with us for RA: I introduced him to the announcer of the radio this particular project called C.C.C.P. U.N.I.T.Y.14 I also station because partly it was my programme. This is wanted to introduce him to some other friends that a really important, young artist from Kuala Lumpur, were not related to ruangrupa, for example, from the I said, but I didn’t know Ise’s work before. I could State University of Jakarta. He was really happy to be guess that he had a very strong spirit from the way in Jakarta during that time. I think he stayed more than he introduced himself as an artist from Malaysia, and a month in Jakarta. What was so-called “project” was based in Kuala Lumpur. I liked that he came from not strictly a project. It was much more flexible. To Kelantan, which has a strong culture and tradition, him and anybody that relates to our projects what we 13 Common Room Networks Foundation was founded in 2006 as an open platform for arts and culture. The organisation emerged from the Bandung Center for New Media Arts, co-founded in 2001 by Gustaff H. Iskandar, and dedicated to media arts and multidisciplinary artistic practices. “About,” Common Room, 2021, https://commonroom.info/about/. 14 According to Reza Afisina aka Asung, C.C.C.P. U.N.I.T.Y could be interpreted in any personal way, for instance “Consumption for Coming to Collective Party.” sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 57

want to give was time, time to really dig into something festival, Ise invited us, two other colleagues who were that came from Jakarta, and it is inspiring enough. But part of ruangrupa at the time, Lola [Kandina] and Ardi the most important thing to acknowledge about Ise’s [Yunanto] and me, to Kuala Lumpur. That’s the first time second trip is that he gained lots of friends from Jakarta, I engaged with the parkingproject. which gave him a broader context of Indonesia, besides the things he already knew from Bandung. It was more AR: How was this initial experience of parkingproject? important to him to see our connections, and the arts and culture in Jakarta. A: This was the first time I stayed at Pandan Indah, I made good friends: Khairul Azuwan [Ujang], Yan, Bob [Magnus Azami], Awie, everybody who was part of superfriends. It was really exciting for me to be there for two or three weeks and interact with Kuala Lumpur’s art scene, to get introduced to the National Gallery. We also had a video workshop together at the parkingproject. I was back again in 2007 or 2008 for a presentation at the University of Selangor in the media faculty. AR: Did you stay this time again at parkingproject? Poster for C.C.C.P. U.N.I.T.Y project, July 2004. Courtesy of A: Yes, whether there was a project or not, whenever I Indonesia Visual Art Archive. came to Kuala Lumpur, I had always stayed in Pandan Indah, that’s why I really miss it. It’s easy to grab food AR: How did the collaboration during the Istanbul or find hawkers in the streets. It’s not that busy as the Biennial one year later come about? centre of Kuala Lumpur. The most important for us to acknowledge is that we knew we had the same RA: In 2005, on the way to Istanbul Biennial, we had capability of approaching artistic processes. After 2008 a transit flight in Kuala Lumpur for about a couple we visited Kuala Lumpur several times, not only to hours. Ise was kind enough to bring us food during our engage with art, but to visit friends. With [Ahmad] Fuad transit in Kuala Lumpur. We met Ise then, and he said Osman, Vincent Leong, and Ise we went to Malacca on he could come with us to engage with our process of a road trip. This road trip in 2008 is really important. working during this big event. He wanted to get more We were in Fuad’s studio in Malacca and we were exposure to ruangrupa’s practice. We said, “Why not? If talking about what if we could initiate some place for you can support yourself, apart from accommodation us artists or collectives to meet in this particular form. as you could stay together with us, then you could see We wanted to generate the meeting point for us in what will happen during our process.” This was not a Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. We listed several formal collaboration. He was there with us every day, artists from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the worked with us, ate with us during festivities. We always ones that would be close to us, you know, not only for acknowledged him as a friend of ruangrupa who came showing artwork, but also for generating conversations from Malaysia and who was running this particular in the neighbourhood. We wanted to do this in Penang, project space, the parkingproject. It was an extended to gather friends, writers, critics, journalists, and artists, experience altogether. It was not about becoming those who would easily come. We weren’t thinking a member of ruangrupa, but more that we had an about rock star artists during that time. extended family in Kuala Lumpur. In 2006, after the OK 58 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

AR: What happened to this plan of establishing a meeting point? RA: We had intense conversations for a year after that An artists’ talk with Ise and Ade Darmawan (ruangrupa) during the meeting. But in 2009, ruangrupa was busy with our Singapore Biennial 2011, in the foreground Ise’s installation Secret tenth anniversary in which Ise was partially included. At the same time, we had also dealt with the Jakarta Affairs. Courtesy of ruangrupa. Biennial. Ise was busy with his residency project, Fuad was busy with his paintings. But every time we met, we You have your own farm or land to work on. Ise with were always thinking about this. During that time up parkingproject and superfriends and everything that until a couple of months, or a year before he passed relates to have their his own land, to work on. Each away, Ise had lots of travel back in Jakarta or Yogyakarta. time we met, we celebrated the harvest. With our Sometimes we just met. The last time Ise and I were surplus, because we have sufficient enough to share in an exhibition together was at Palais de Tokyo in everything. Last time I met Ise and superfriends in Paris.15 Ise was there with Bob, and his superfriends Paris, I was working on something, Ise was working from parkingprojects. Before that, at the Asia Pacific on something else. We were in the same building, but Triennial,16 he was gathering with us, most of the time. we were not having conversations. We met during the It’s like having family. We are always happy when the smoking and food sessions. It’s like working on a farm, family is coming together. “Hey, Ise, we’re going to the then suddenly you have a break, and then you bring Singapore Biennial!” and Ise says, “Me too!” Okay, let’s up your lunchbox, and you sit together. These are the meet there!17 We stayed in the same hotel, we shared things we admire in each other. That kept us being everything that we could share. For us, Ise was more inspired by each other, not skills or craftsmanship, than a friend, he was part of this extended family. but these particular, daily conversations. This is how we acknowledge these so-called “International AR: Apart from an opportunity for meeting, in what Gatherings,” for us, they were a way to celebrate the ways was it meaningful to your practice and friendship harvest. to share with Ise a communal platform for production and discourse at these types of international events, whether in Brisbane, Paris or Singapore? A: The way to acknowledge this is ruangrupa and me having a different field to work on, like a farmer. 15 Reza Afisina [Asung] and Roslisham Ismail Ise were among the participating artists in the exhibition Secret Archipelago curated by Khairuddin Hori, a coproduction between Palais de Tokyo and National Heritage Board Singapore, in the context of Singapour en France – le Festival / Singapore in France - The Festival. “Secret Archipelago,” Palais de Tokyo, https://www.palaisdetokyo.com/en/event/secret-archipelago. At Palais de Tokyo, Ise presented for the first time cronoLOGICal, a large installation that intermixes fragments of handwritten text with objects, drawings, tablet computers, photocopied maps and images. Defying a linear narrative, the work punctuates different moments in this history of Kelantan as remembered and collected by Ise from family, friends, teachers, imams, etc. One of the oldest states in Peninsular Malaysia, Kelantan’s history and culture has been marked by Indic, Islamic and Thai influences. The Langkasuka Cookbook, cronoLOGICal, and anOther story (focusing on different episodes from the Second World War period in Kelantan), form together, conceivably a trilogy mapping the early and modern history of Kelantan through oral records and after translated by Ise into drawings and other media. With minor variations, cronoLOGICal was presented in Kuala Lumpur as part of Condition Report (2017) curated by Yap Sau Bin and Hattori Hiroyuki and at the 14th edition of Sharjah Biennial (2019) co-curated by Zoe Butt. 16 In 2012, Ise and ruangrupa intersected at the 7th edition of the Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane. On this occasion, Ise developed the Langkasuka Cookbook project unpacked by Russell Storer in the interview by Tan Zi Hao. 17 This edition of the Singapore Biennial took place in 2011. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 59

AR: When was the last time you met Ise or you were in A: We were in a taxi in Jakarta. And suddenly this touch with him? taxi was stopped by the police. Ise was quite worried because Indonesia had just lost and the police would A: Before Ise passed away, we had many questions check his ID and see he came from Malaysia, Kuala in Jakarta, other friends who were close to Ise and Lumpur. Ise was terrified. “What should I do?” he asked. me. We didn’t know what happened to him. He And I told him, say to the police you are supporting the never said anything. We would always write to each Indonesian team. The conversation started exactly like other for our birthdays, Ise was a Virgo and had his in the drawing. We always had this particular funny way birthday in September, I’m a Taurus and have mine in to deal with these conversations. In fact, we didn’t go May, in between it was Eid Mubarak. We would write, to the football match. We just happened to be in the “Selamat!,” “Happy birthday!” He would always say city’s centre. It’s good to know that he acknowledged he was okay. In 2019 when ruangrupa was selected this particular memory, there were lots of things that he as the artistic director of Documenta, Ise sent me a could have shared. congratulations message directly to me on Instagram. He said he was now back on track. I don’t know what AR: Ise always spoke so highly of ruangrupa, in particular happened before, what happened after, until I heard of its mode of operation. What exactly do you believe this very sad news. It felt like losing our very good he admired in ruangrupa’s way of working? friend and family at the same time. A: We were just exchanging with each other here and AR: I believe Ise channelled his struggles, of different there, intimate details and very good stories as well. For kinds, into the artworks. And he worked tirelessly and instance, I told you that Ise went to our friend’s wedding with conviction until he passed away. When he started when he first visited us back in 2003. The second time, the collaboration with Pak Him, a comic artist whom he he returned to Jakarta, this friend was getting divorced. met in hospital, he told me that working was giving him And Ise said, probably this was a curse. “I came during energy. This was his language and drive. this wedding, and now I am back again and they divorced.” He apologised to our friend who said no, no, A: I’m glad that Ise had a strong spirit until his last this has nothing to do with you. We always made jokes moment. This is one of the things for which I honour from this. We had lots of fun stuff to share with him. him. It’s really a pity not continuing this meeting point AR: As you have been connected to Ise since the early as we called it. During that time there were many years of his practice, how did you see in retrospect the things we were trying to make all together meeting development of his practice, his mode of thinking and each other in Jakarta or back in Kuala Lumpur. And also working? From 2004 residency in Jakarta, what stands what is good to know, Ise didn’t make friends only with out for you in terms of Ise’s journey as an artist? ruangrupa in Jakarta, he made friends with anyone he met, even a policeman who stopped him because he RA: The first thing I acknowledged about Ise’s artistic was Malaysian and Indonesia just lost a football match practice is that he always liked to record everything against Malaysia. by sketches. He was always writing here and there taking notes or making a drawing. This is different from AR: This episode is the subject of one of Ise’s last taking a picture, recording a video, he always recorded works in collaboration with Pak Him. Ise narrated by hand, in an analogue style, which is a classic way. this encounter with the police after Malaysia won the If I compare his presentation of Langkasuka project in ASEAN cup defeating Indonesia. the Asia Pacific Triennial and in Palais de Tokyo, I liked 60 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Notes from Julia Sarisetiati Roslisham Ismail aka Ise installing at Palais de Tokyo, 2015. The first time I’ve met Ise was during his early residency Photograph by Magnus Azami. Courtesy of Ise parkingproject with ruangrupa. I was still a student at that time. He started to visit ruangrupa regularly to hang out when Foundation. I became a ruangrupa manager. Once he visited us more often, we became friends. Ise used to visit Jakarta not only for projects, exhibitions, or for art-making. He was often one of the guests in ruangrupa’s library; this space became a sanctuary for many of ruangrupa’s friends who needed to save some money when visiting Jakarta. I also used to sleep there when we had deadlines for ruangrupa as my house was far away at that time. In this exchange of stories, a friendship blossomed between us. We hung out, explored food together around ruangrupa’s headquarters, and we went to different places together. the latter. At the Palais de Tokyo, he presented his own In 2010, as a manager, I organised the ruangrupa tenth manual observations. Langkasuka was part of his cultural anniversary under the title of Decompression#10. One history in Kelantan, his background. At Palais de Tokyo, of the exhibitions we held was ruru and friends in which he showed the roots of all these receipts recorded in Ise participated. We had many other exhibitions such as the publication, including a collection of second-hand ruru.zip, about ruangrupa’s archive and ruru.net, about objects. He created his own mind mapping. For me, it ruangrupa’s different networks. Again, Ise stayed in our was more important to see these collective memories library, but for quite long, more than a month. It was a and his personal landmarks because he came from super busy time, but in between and as part of his work, there and the people there were the ones who helped he collaborated with Oomleo [and Indra Ameng]. They him build up this particular work. This is connected to produced a horror movie with friends who used to hang how Ise was always dealing with his particular friends or out in ruangrupa as players. The footage of this film was superfriends and working collectively. For me this way left untouched and had never been completed. In the to engage was really important. . show, Oomleo and Ise presented only posters. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, ChronoLOGICal, mixed media, 2015; Julia playing the role of a secretary for the Trio Terror project, installation view at Sharjah Biennial, 2019. 2010. Courtesy of Julia Sarisetiati. Courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 61

In 2011 we met again in Singapore as ruangrupa and Ise were invited as artists in the Biennial. ruangrupa stayed in Singapore for three weeks to produce the work, it was a super packed schedule to do the research and build the installation at once in a short time. We mostly met during lunch or dinner and listened to each other’s findings and processes. Ise also worked a lot with many of his superfriends in Malaysia to do the videos that accompanied his installation. In the same year, I was so excited to find out that Ise with artists-in-residence at Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, 2011. we were scheduled in the same period of time to do Courtesy of Julia Sarisetiati. residency in Seoul. It was my first residency alone as an artist, without ruangrupa. I was so lucky to overlap with good friends who had also played a major role in the Ise who had so many residencies before.18 He was the horror movie that was never released. I found this one who taught me everything, how to keep money, gesture super sweet. It was a very nice coincidence too, use public transport, eat great food, seek mobile as this trip became a moment of reunion with one of phones that can fit to a Korean sim card, and explore our former Geumcheon friends: Asako Sasaki, a chef the many flea markets, etc. I also remember that he was from Japan who managed to also be there at the same the one who took me to the airport because he wanted time with Agung and me. to make sure I arrived on time and I was at the right terminal. Writing this makes me miss him. During the residency, I introduced him to many of As we have a chef friend staying with us at Ise’s my friends, the Indonesian migrant workers I was in apartment in Kuala Lumpur, we cooked every day collaborating with. Many of them lived far away outside and ate great food. Asako was there on an invitation Seoul city and finding the right transport and direction from the Japan Foundation in Kuala Lumpur to hold was quite a challenge for me. Ise often accompanied a cooking workshop. She made use of her stay in me to visit them and hang out. As he often visited my studio in Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, many other artists in this space had also quickly befriended him, as he was a very warm and friendly person. We continued this friendship until his departure and many of us felt a great loss of his passing. In 2013, he organized another meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Ise picked up Julia and Agung at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, 2012. as he noticed that I had never visited Malaysia at all. He Courtesy of Julia Sarisetiati. said he had some little money he wanted to share as a gift: a return air ticket for me and for another friend from Jakarta: Agung Frigidanto, one of ruangrupa’s 18 In 2011, Ise was an artist-in-residence at Seoul Art Space Hongeun, a space repurposed since 2016 for dance practices. “Culture and Art Space,” Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, 2018, https://www.sfac.or.kr/site/SFAC_ENG/05/10522000000002019112006.jsp. Ise became first acquainted with South Korea during his residency there that took place in 2008 at the Community Space Litmus in Ansan. 62 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Ise’s apartment to research the many local foods and Last time at the end of 2017 he texted me: “I am very ingredients, and poetically match it with Japanese sorry, I did not respond to you for ok video. I am very specialties. It was a great time, sadly my very first and sick. I’ll explain to you a litter later, ok?” It was a deep last time to actually hang out with Ise in Kuala Lumpur. sadness to discover that we had lost him then. In between, we used to chat a lot on Facebook too. Interview with Mirwan Andan Around 2017, he told me he was feeling unwell and would share a more detailed story with me, but what AR: How did you first meet Ise? When and in which he really needed was to be calm at the moment. I context? suggested that he should rest, change his lifestyle, exercise regularly and eat clean. This was a sign that MA: I met Ise for the first time during the OK.Video – something hard has happened to his health which in Jakarta International Video Festival in 2007.19 He just the end he never had a chance to tell me really. popped up in Tebet Timur - the previous street where ruangrupa space was located. Soon we conversed and In 2017, Renan Laru-an from Manila and I curated OK. shared many jokes, stories and so on. Pangan - Indonesia Media Arts Festival. We hoped at that time to invite Ise to collaborate with the Bakudapan AR: Were any points of interest, influences, or references Study Group and Dialita. “Dialita” is the abbreviation you had in common with Ise from the beginning? for “Di Atas Lima Puluh Tahun” (Above 50 years old). It is a choir group made of women whose parents, MA: Yes, we both watched Titian Muhibah, a music relatives and friends were captured, tortured and exiled TV programme broadcasted through collaboration during the 1965-66 communist purge in Indonesia. We between Indonesian and Malaysian public TV channels, thought to invite them to share their stories on food TVRI and RTM, respectively back in the 80s. For me during the crisis and to re-connect them with the as Indonesian, that’s how I connected with Malaysian Bakudapan Food Study Group. Bakudapan Food Study popular culture, so did Ise, as he mentioned. Group developed a project titled Please Eat Wildly to show people how easy and tasty it is to obtain and AR: “Whenever I need inspiration, I just take a low-cost prepare wild plants as a sustainable food source that flight to Jakarta for a few weeks to hang out with them is not reliant on industrial agriculture and all problems [ruangrupa],”20 mentions Ise in an interview. Would Ise that come with it. show up spontaneously or contact you in advance to make plans? How would Ise spend time his time in We were interested in inviting Ise to collaborate with Jakarta? Dialita and Bakudapan and adapt his storytelling method used in the Langkasuka Cookbook for this work. I was MA: He never contacted me that he wanted to come in conversation with Ise, and he was excited about over. Sometimes he just came and asked me to the idea. We planned several online meetings to start accompany him to find some books in Bahasa Indonesia, the conversation and exchange ideas before meeting mostly on cultural and moderate Islam issues. I really in Indonesia, but this never happened. He had never remember he wanted to have three titles, the books replied to my email, and later on, he told me through written by Budhy Munawar Rachman, published by Facebook he was very ill. 19 Entitled Militia, this was the third edition of OK. Video: Jakarta International Video Festival, established by ruangrupa in 2003. 20 Enoch Cheng, “Interview with Roslisham Ismail (a.k.a. Ise),” Asia Art Archive (June 1, 2011), retrieved from: https://aaa.org.hk/en/ideas/ideas/ interview-with-roslisham-ismail-a-k-a-ise. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 63

Grasindo: Argumen Islam Untuk Pluralisme, Argumen AR: Are there any memories you would like to share Islam Untuk Sekularisme, Argumen Islam Untuk about Ise? Liberalisme.21 I called the publisher to purchase them. He got the books with him to Kuala Lumpur. Once I MA: Yes, I was in Manchester with him and Oomleo. We also accompanied him to Blok M Square area in Jakarta visited the Old Trafford football stadium. The next day, to find second-hand books on Indonesian cultural we went to Liverpool to hang-out at the Cavern Club matters. and attended an event, the Abandoned Normal Devices festival. We stayed in Islington Mill, in Manchester for a AR: Ise spoke so highly of ruangrupa, in particular of couple of nights where we discussed and shared many its mode of operation. What exactly do you believe stories, including Ise’s plan to visit South Sulawesi, he admired in ruangrupa’s way of working? Do you especially where the Bugis and Makassar people live. remember having any direct conversation with Ise I am Bugis and live in Makassar, now I am back and on the practice of a collective, the motivations and forth between Jakarta and Makassar. He wanted to challenges of working together and running an visit Makassar after he found out that there is a strong independent space? connection between the Bugis and Makassar people with Malaysia. MA: He always mentioned the hang-out culture we have in Indonesia generally that reflects in ruangrupa’s way of working. AR: Would Ise talk about his work or share experiences from his numerous travels and residencies in the past years? MA: Yes, once he told me that he collects all the flight travel bag tags. I can imagine that he had so many of those tags, placed somewhere, in his studio in Kuala Lumpur. [Left to Right] Roslisham Ismail aka Ise with Narpati Awangga and Mirwan Andan, Manchester, 2011. Courtesy of Mirwan Andan. Founded in Jakarta in 2000 by a group of artists, ruangrupa advances artistic ideas within both urban context and culture at large through exhibitions, festivals, art laboratories, workshops, research, and publishing. Ade Darmawan is an artist, curator and director of ruangrupa. He was the artistic director of Jakarta Biennale in 2009 and its executive director for 2013, 2015 and 2017 editions. Narpati Awangga is an artist engaged with digital media and involved in various online radio streamings (RURU Radio). He is also a member of the electro-pop trio Goodnight Electric. Reza Afisina is a new media artist who utilizes performance art in his practice. He joined ruangrupa since 2003; he was the collective’s program coordinator until 2007; and since 2008, he has been the director ruangrupa’s ArtLab. Julia Sarisetiati is an artist whose work primarily focuses on Indonesian migrant workforces sustainability and ecosystem. She currently teaches in Gudskul a course on collective sustainability. A graduate of political science, Mirwan Andan has worked with ruangrupa as a researcher and developer since 2007. He took part in Jakarta Biennale 2015 as researcher and co-curated with ruangrupa TRANSaction: Sonsbeek 2016 in Arnhem. 21 Budhy Munawar Rachman is a scholar in Islamic studies and lecturer at the Driyarkara School of Philosophy in Jakarta. 64 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

The Mind Diary M.Hijaz & Syed Omar Husain First printed in sentAp! No.6 -01/07 (May–August 2007) To commemorate his three-month travel to Down Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Keluar 90 Hari, artist’s book. Under and particularly to celebrate the completion of Courtesy of Ise parkingproject. his residency programme at the Gunnery Studios in Sydney, Roslisham Ismail unveiled Keluar 90 Hari at the Australian High Commission on January 18. This series of digital prints, produced in poster format, extensively, exploit visual languages of mass culture, and are actually taken out from Ise’s travelogue scrapbook whose print version was also launched during the opening ceremony officiated by Simryn Gill. Ise’s scrapbook contains collages of figures and images culled from magazines and brochures, of texts and words cut out from newspapers and pamphlets, of stickers, tickets, envelopes, wrappers, flyers, posters and other printed materials he salvaged while in Sydney. As in his many current artworks, the proverbial robot pops out here and there amidst mischievous compositions interspersed with graffiti scribbling, stencils and his other trademark markings. He even inserts significant, memorable e-mails he received from friends and family members throughout his stay there. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 65

Stylistically, the sense of naiveté and casualness, the jealousy among local artists, of their prejudiced taste feelings of kitschy eroticism and urban context radiated and aesthetic judgement. From his short but frequent from the structure, imagery and content of the collages sojourn in Indonesia especially in ruangrupa, Jakarta, exemplify Ise’s passion with pop ethos. In spite of he further realised the urgency to crawl out from under numerous revelations of personal emotions, the works his social-cultural ‘tempurung’. New artist friends too touch upon themes of global politics and cultural opened up a fresh paradigm of art making. He made a interaction. Some are meant to appraise the state of art leap through his growing network, and that leap finally and life in Malaysia. landed him in Sydney. Ise is not an ordinary tourist; as such he does not Being a resident artist at the Gunnery Studios was the bring back any souvenir in the form of bric-a-brac next big step in his search for larger network. However, and household décor. Being a traveller, he returns he had to come to terms with several hard realities. In with memories and impressions. His scrapbook does contrast to earlier residencies in India and Indonesia, not only form a visual journal of his wandering, of his Sydney, despite its closeness to Asia, is a western meeting with new faces and new places, his encounters environment. There was a fear of isolation during his with unknown characters and cultures. It is also a mind first week venturing into the city streets looking for diary that records and traces his fear and loathing, hope ideas and inspirations. When boredom snuck up on and joy; a cerebral map that documents his statements him, he started collecting materials for a scrapbook and expressions concerning certain matters close to project. Nothing much to do and nobody to converse his heart. It is a key witness to his travelling experiences with, he covered studio walls with posters to remind in the realms of geography and psychology. him of his space in parkingproject . In this initial period Ise felt lonely and struggled to avoid being stereotyped In today’s global contemporary art scene with its ever- as anti-social. shifting values and fluid strategies, artists have to expand their networks. With the emergence of many cross- As an active socialite and always on the lookout for cultural and trans-national art projects, they need to opportunity to enhance his link, Ise managed to break develop links locally and internationally, in cyber and in the ice in the second week. He met fellow resident real-time space. Ise, either alone or via parkingproject artists and had discussions with them. He started to artist’s initiative, is among a handful of young Malaysian ‘party’, made friends with Australian artists and curators artists who strived to get in touch with the outside who frequented the studios, attended shows at nearby art circle transcending the politics of regionalism and galleries and museums. At last he added a few more nationalism. Somewhat ignored by local critics and call-cards into his purse. One of them was Simryn excluded from national mainstream agendas, they look Gill, a Malaysian woman artist residing there whom outside to promote their activities and to be in the flux he never had the chance to befriend before. A special of present transitions and transformations by way of show-cum-farewell party held in his last days was well collaborative schemes. attended by these acquaintances. The first time he travelled to India, right after his video- Keluar 90 Hari have surfaces whose markings installation proposal for the 2002 Young Contemporary and rhythms express both personal and social was rejected by the jury, he knew the importance of commitments. They do not only narrate Ise’s personal getting connected in order to be ‘contemporary’ and day-to-day life in Sydney. Instead, they also reveal ‘international’. He became aware of the rivalry and several facets of his concern with and consciousness 66 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise “The Giving Tree” , 2006. restates the moral theme in his drawing “Inspire Story”. Courtesy of Ise parkingproject Foundation. At times Ise became a critical reader of such issues as armed conflicts around the globe, the World Cup in Germany, pop culture, as well as Malaysian art and life. From stories in newspapers, images on television, and critiques on the streets, he appreciated the significance of global events, not just to the people involved but also to the observers like Australians and Malaysians. The American invasion of Iraq and on-going battles were reviewed in “Fed Up”. Heavily composed of military imagery of weapons, rockets and tanks, and inscribed with texts like ‘fed up’, ‘stop the shoot out’ and ‘I’m not alone’, the piece sums up his view on the crisis in the Middle East. Came August 31, he recalled the frivolous manner in which the ‘rakyats’ celebrate Merdeka Day, of how they assembled at Dataran Merdeka not to listen to patriotic speeches but to be entertained by popular artistes. of the world around him. In a certain way, the stay Ninety days in Sydney and after experiencing and in Sydney turned him into a contemplative person. hence negotiating the interplay of different socio- Mundane activities such as making a trip to the market cultural environments, Roslisham returned to Malaysia on Thursdays, savouring petuna ocean trout which with improved self-belief. Not only was he pleased tastes better than salmon, preparing salmon curry for with his hosts’ and contacts’ warm reception, he also meals and receiving messages from friends, suddenly gained new insights into and fresh momentum in his seem so transcendental. When Yuken, fellow resident art-making. Reading through Keluar 90 Hari, his visual artist, recounted to him a folk story “The Giving Tree”, journal-cum-mind diary of the journey, we believe he he was so moved with the tree’s epic sacrifice that he had accomplished his ‘mission’ so far; at least in erasing the myth of his isolation in the national art scene. Syed Omar Husain is an engineering graduate with more than 20 years in the manufacturing industry. He now serves as a translator and editor in the independent publishing house Teratak Nuromar and is one of the founders of Hubooks, a bibliophiles hub in Ipoh. M. Hijaz Mohammad (b. in Taiping, Perak) is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Art and Design (Fine Art), Universiti Teknologi MARA in Perak. He graduated from University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, in glass art and sculpture. He participated in several exhibitions such as the Young Contemporaries Award and Asia Fiber Art. He is the founder of Kotak Kaca, an alternative art space in Seri Iskandar, Perak. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 67

Operation Bangkok Roslisham Ismail aka Ise 68 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Army Pop Corn, Operation Bangkok, 2014 69 The yellow and green popcorn bag became a popular symbol of anti-government protests in Bangkok in 2014. One of the protestors, known as the “popcorn gunman”, hid his rifle in a popcorn bag before opening fire to support the People’s Democratic Reform Committee. He was sentenced in 2018 to a 37-year prison term for wounding three protestors and killing one on the side of the Red Shirts. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Yod Zei, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Boat Noodle, Operation Bangkok, 2014 It is customary for first-time visitors in Bangkok to have Thai boat noodles at Victory Monument. 70 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Shutdown, Operation Bangkok, 2014 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 71

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Tarot, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Guided by students who assisted him during his residency, Ise reached what is known as “the fortune teller’s avenue,” near Thammasat University’s campus in Bangkok. 72 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, JJ Market, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Locally known as “JJ”, the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok is one of the largest open-air markets in the world. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, BTS Ekkamai, Operation Bangkok, 2014 On his way from Ekkamai BTS station to Bangkok University’s campus in Rangsit, Ise encountered the Chang Building. This high-rise building is well known in Bangkok as the Elephant Building with its three joined towers that resemble the body of an elephant. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 73

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, New World Building, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Built in 1982, The New World Mall had been operating for 15 years before being shut down by local authorities because of an illegal extension. Two years after its closure, a fire damaged the building and left it roofless. Flooded with rain water, the building became a flourishing habitat for the fish that people released there. Following a clean-up, the fish were relocated in mid-2014 and the building declared off-limits to the public. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Lumpini Park, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Anti-government protesters’ tents were set up in Lumpini Park in 2014. 74 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Wild Wet, Operation Bangkok, 2014 75 Ise’s residency in Bangkok coincided with The New Year Water Festival known in Thai as “Songkran,” that marks a seasonal shift from dry weather to humid rain and is celebrated in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, usually in April. In public festivities during Songkran, people will often splash water on friends or anyone as a New Year blessing. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Thieves Market, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Situated at the periphery of Bangkok’s Chinatown for several decades, Khlong Thom market was opened every Saturday night. It used to be known informally as “Thieves Market” or “Flashlight Market” as shoppers would often bring torchlights to browse through products at night. The market was shut down by the authorities in 2015 and street merchants were asked to relocate. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, I don’t know la… , Operation Bangkok, 2014 During his residency in Bangkok, Ise was often asked questions about the mysterious disappearance into the Indian Ocean of MH370 (Malaysian Airline Flight 370) on 8 March 2014. 76 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, RTCT, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Opened in 1916, The Royal Turf Club of Thailand (RTCT) was a popular venue for horse racing and legal betting. The site has been known for hosting business and political meetings amongst senior military and public affairs officials. Experiencing a decline in spectator numbers and revenue, RTCT closed in 2018. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Wat Chakrawat, Operation Bangkok, 2014 A Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Wat Chakkrawat is popular for its live crocodiles and a small grotto of what is believed to be a Buddha shadow. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 77

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Mob Memorabilia, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Whistle-blowing and waving the Thai flag became symbolic actions during the 2014 anti-government protests in Thailand. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Nancy, Operation Bangkok, 2014 Nancy is a massage parlor in Bangkok 78 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Si-Quey, Operation Bangkok, 2014 The Chinese migrant, Si Quey Sae-Ung was executed in 1958 in Thailand for serial crimes and alleged cannibalism. In 2020 he was given a cremation ceremony after more than sixty years of his bullet-ridden and embalmed body being displayed at the Siriraj Medical Museum in Bangkok. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Congdon, Operation Bangkok, 2014 The Congdon Anatomical Museum is one of the six institutions that constitute the Siriraj Medical Museum in Bangkok. It was founded in 1927 by the American doctor, Edgar Congdon to foster the study of anatomy for medical students. sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE 79

Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Rajadamnern, Operation Bangkok, 2014 A renowned boxing stadium that opened in Bangkok in 1945, Rajadamnern Stadium is one of the two main stadiums dedicated to Thailand’s national sport, Muay Thai. Roslisham Ismail aka Ise, Junkyard, Operation Bangkok, 2014 According to the team who assisted Ise during his residency in Bangkok, this image is an oversized representation of a toy Ise purchased in the Prawet district or/and informed by the visual language of fitness posters in gyms situated there. Operation Bangkok, 2014, marker pen on paper, watercolour, acrylic, post-it flags, photocopied Bangkok map, 84 x 118 cm. All artworks courtesy Ise parkingproject Foundation and A+ Works of Art. 80 sentAp! \\ SPECIAL ISSUE FOR ROSLISHAM ISMAIL aka ISE

ROSLISHAM ISMAIL AKA ISE (b. Kota Bharu, 1972–2019) was an artist whose practice spanned across media, from drawings, collages, animations, installations, to social structures. Ise was the founder of parkingproject, an artist-run initiative established in 2003 in his apartment in Kuala Lumpur, and a co-founder in 2005 of the art publication sentAp!. Ise was selected for or invited to numerous residencies such as at the Asian Cultural Council, New York (2016); NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (2015); Bangkok University Gallery (2014); 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney (2012); Seoul Art Space Hongeun (2011); Britto, Dhaka (2010); The Gunnery Studio, Artspace, Sydney (2006); ruangrupa, Jakarta (2004); KHOJ International Artists’ Association, New Delhi (2003). His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at The Laundromat Project, New York (2016); Bangkok University Gallery (2014); Jalan Mesui, Kuala Lumpur (2010); Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur Gallery (2008); Australia High Commission, Kuala Lumpur, Kedai Kebun Forum, Yogyakarta (2007); 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney (2006); His work has also been presented in group exhibitions at the Sharjah Art Biennial, Asian Art Biennial, Taipei, Jogja Art Biennial (all in 2019); Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Contemporary Art Museum, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (all in 2017); Goethe-Institut, Singapore International Festival of Arts (2016); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2015); Arter, Istanbul (2014); OPENHAUS, ZK/U, Berlin (2014) and Asian Art Biennale, Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taichung (2013), among others. Ise completed his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam.

ISBN 978-983-43887-6-8