My favourite work from Iskandar Jalil’s “Clay Travels”

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Out of all the works there, it was extremely hard to pick one true favourite as there were many works that stood out to me and piqued my interest. In the end, I decided to pick this piece – I like how it is unassuming at first glance, with its earthen textures and dull colours, but a closer inspection of the work reveals a teeny little frog sitting on the wooden edge, adding a whimsical flair to the work. Much like the concept of wabi-sabi, this work must be carefully observed for one to gain a full appreciation for it. I also love the use of both treated material (as seen in the cut and treated wooden handle) and the material in its natural state (as seen in the piece of wood propped on top of the handle). The juxtaposition of the two different states of the same type of material is very interesting to me.

An image that I did not take

The image is a high contrast black and white photograph of a dog turning around to face the camera. The dog takes up the entire frame, with the background details blurred out. The dog seems to be a mongrel, with stout legs and frame, short ears and a short snout. The dog’s fur looks matted and unkempt, with its tail down between its legs. Its ears are turned down, and its mouth slightly ajar. It looks a little sad, somehow.