Until the 1980s, Malaysian art had a tendency to mimic contemporary Euro-American art. This distinct lack of an original aesthetic could be attributed to a superficial understanding of Western art and its philosophy by local artists at the time.Ismail Zain firmly believed that art as a mode of expression should always convey some form of meaning, serving as a frame through which society may address relevant issues. Throughout his career, he had played a pivotal role in helping to revitalise Malaysian art whilst still being mindful of the role of tradition in the creative process.Al-Kesah: Homage to Ismail Zain honours one of Malaysia’s most visionary artists and his artistic theories and practices. Along with original artworks from Ismail Zain, the exhibition also features the works of 22 Malaysian artists, who through their own unique interpretations pay tribute to a pioneer of art and technology truly ahead of his time.Sehingga tahun 1980an, seni moden Malaysia mempunyai kecenderungan untuk meniru gaya seni Euro-Amerika. Ketandusan ciri kesenian asli yang ketara ini boleh jadi disebabkan oleh kefahaman yang tidak mendalam oleh para pengkarya tempatan dalam menyelami seni Barat dan falsafahnya ketika itu.Allahyarham Ismail Zain mempercayai bahawa seni adalah suatu kaedah ekspresi yang harus menyampaikan makna yang tertentu dan menjadi bingkai luahan rasa masyarakat terhadap sesuatu isu. Sepanjang kerjayanya, beliau memainkan peranan penting dalam usaha menggiatkan seni moden Malaysia sambil mengekalkan peranan tradisi dalam proses penghasilan karya kreatif.Al-Kesah: Homage to Ismail Zain merakamkan penghormatan kepada seniman Malaysia yang berwawasan dan dijulang kerana teori-teori kritis serta amalan praktik seninya. Di samping karya asal Ismail Zain, pameran ini turut menampilkan karya seni 22 seniman tanahair yang menterjemahkan hasil kerja Allahyarham dengan kreativiti masing-masing, sebagai penghormatan mereka kepada pelopor seni dan teknologi yang benar-benar melangkau zamannya.
