Though Ismaila’s most recent creative work is in the art of batik; he first mastered the art of stone sculpture. He began working with stone at the age of 14, and exhibited his work at age 17. His stone sculptures have been shown in such prestigious venues abroad as the National Gallery of Contemporary Art in Dakar, Senegal, and at the Pan African Biennial Exhibition DAK’ART, the International Salon Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso and the Arts Exposition in France.