Castlefield Gallery Associates Spotlight: Deeqa Ismail

This month we have asked Deeqa Ismail to contribute to our Castlefield Gallery Associates Spotlight series, in which current Castlefield Gallery Associates share their thoughts on what the programme offers and how it has been useful for them.

Can you tell us a little bit about your practice? 

My practice begins with printmaking not just as a medium, but as a way of thinking. It acts as an anchor, a point of return, from which I move intuitively into sculpture, sound, and bookbinding. Much of my work also begins with listening, especially to old family cassette tapes and their rhythm in conversation, or sometimes to something less tangible, like silence or absence. From there, ideas often unfold into material, into texture and form.

I’m drawn to traditions and how recorded sound can carry memory, place, and presence across time. Recently, I’ve been working with materials like wax, frankincense, and magnetic tape, which feel both ancient and intimate as a way of giving physical shape to emotional and sonic landscapes.

At its core, I think my practice is led by care. I find meaning in working with community members, with language, and with archives to explore how identity is held, passed on, and allowed to shift. It’s not about preserving perfectly but about staying open to what it might become.