In 1986, Roldan founded the seminal artist group Black Artists in Asia, a Philippines-based group focused on socially and politically progressive practice, and in 1990 he established VIVA EXCON (Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference), the region’s longest-running biennale. Presently, he is the Artistic Director of Green Papaya Art Projects, which he co-founded in 2000. This independent artist-run initiative and alternative art space fosters collaboration and cultural exchange between artists, and remains the longest running independent and multi-disciplinary platform in the country.

Roldan graduated with a degree in BA Philosophy from St. Pius X Seminary and took his BFA in Visual Communication from the University of Santo Tomas, the Philippines. He was represented in several landmark surveys, including No Country: Contemporary Art for South/Southeast Asia, Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York (2013); Between Declarations & Dreams: Art of Southeast Asia Since the 19th Century, National Gallery Singapore (2015); SUNSHOWER: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now, National Art Centre Tokyo (2017); and, Passion and Procession: Art of the Philippines, Art Gallery of New South Wales (2017).