CUKUP TIMBANG, 1997
28 x 38 cm
Collection of Azmi Wan Hamzah, Tan Sri
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A lady in red and blue, a black handbag tightly held on her lap, squats on the floor dwarfing heaps of ginger, chillies, and longbeans…to reach the scales where her goods will be weighed. In the action, a strap of the bag had fallen, encircling the knees of the woman. Her secret is that inside her bag, she hides diamond rings and golden bracelets. The market is a place of business for small time jewellery traders. Carefulness and fairness are indeed the order of the day for them.